flicker
by DiscordianSamba
Summary: Keith Kogane has always known that his luck was bad. He didn't need anyone to tell him that. But getting mixed up in an alien invasion? Yeah, that was a little worse than he'd anticipated. (or, Keith never becomes a paladin and is around for Sendak's invasion of Earth)
1. the day the earth fell

Hello, it's me! As promised, here is the sequel/main story that goes along with one degree of separation. If you have not read that yet, you will probably want to! It is only two parts, and only the first part is really super necessary to read this story, but yeah, you probably should go and do that if you haven't yet because otherwise there are a few things that won't make sense.

But enough of that! Here we have the what if story- what if Keith and Shiro had never met, and therefore, Keith never became a paladin? What if he was around for Sendak's invasion? That's the story that I will be telling here, and hopefully it'll be interesting! With that said, I'll see y'all next update~!

* * *

 **flicker**

 **chapter one**

 **the day the earth fell**

* * *

Wiping sweat off his brow, Keith let out a breath, checking over his work.

He'd noticed that there was a leak in the roof the last time a thunderstorm passed through, and with the day off from Tsuyoshi's shop, he thought he'd finally take the chance to fix it. He didn't have much skill with carpentry, but he'd looked up some things online the last time he was in town, so he thought he'd done a pretty good job.

Hm. Maybe he should swing by town, pick something up. Maybe he could-

A high pitched ringing caught his ears, and for a moment, he couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Glancing behind him, he stared down, pinpointing the source of the sound- it was coming from his father's knife.

Unsheathing it, Keith's brows knit together. The sigil on the hilt had always glowed, for as long as he could remember, but this was the first time it had been so bright that even the bandages couldn't hide it.

"What the-?"

The question barely left his mouth before he had bigger things to worry about.

Rising to his feet, Keith held the knife loosely in one hand, staring up at the sky with wide eyes. Maybe he'd been described as the quiet type, but there wasn't much that could steal his words from him, leaving him completely speechless.

The massive fleet of ships breaking through the clouds just about did it.

At once, his instincts kicked in. He'd seen these ships before. He'd replayed the footage that had been leaked from the Garrison three months prior over and over at this point, looping the sole part where they had displayed images of the would-be invaders from another world.

These were _Galra_ ships.

Sheathing his knife, he didn't stop to question why it had reacted the way it did. There was no time. He doubted he'd be much of a target, isolated away from everything else like he was, but the less of a target he could become, the better.

Not that he wasn't worried about the people in town- but Colleen was at the Garrison, and he knew for a fact that was probably the safest place to be right now. He didn't need their broadcast to tell him that they had been working on some crazy stuff lately- he'd seen it with his own eyes, what with the fact that he lived out here in the desert and all.

Technically, his father's old shack was now Garrison property. Whoops.

He was worried about Tsuyoshi and his wife, their daughter and her family- though he'd met the latter only once or twice. But if he didn't survive this, then he had no hope of checking on them. And something, some instinct, told him that this invasion was not going to go the way the Garrison hoped.

Leaping off the roof, Keith threw open the doors to the shack he'd built. Again, carpentry was not his forte, but it served well enough. Heck, it's ramshackle appearance might just give off the impression that the thing was abandoned, and not basically brand new. Backing his hoverbike into it, he cast a wary eye up towards the horizon.

The ships had started to fire.

Swearing underneath his breath, Keith sprinted for the shack. There was an underground bunker where he could hide- one that he'd never really questioned that much before now, but was now grateful for the existence of. He didn't know why his father had built it, but he was thankful.

Ever since Colleen's broadcast- and he still couldn't believe that it was _Colleen_ who was at the center of all that- he'd taken to stocking it with supplies. Canned food and non-perishable goods, bottled water, alongside a generator and a radio, plus a camp stove and a bedroll, as well as other odds and ends.

Look, if there was one thing his life had taught him, it was to be prepared. So when the news broke that they weren't alone in the universe, he did what he was best at- he prepared.

Just survive. That was the only thing he had to focus on. Just get through this, and then he could think about what he would do next.

Thankfully, he excelled at surviving too.

He'd shoved the couch out of the way and thrown open the door to the bunker when he heard- and _felt_ \- the sound of something impacting with the ground outside. It hit the ground hard, enough for him to feel it in his teeth- and against his better instincts, he went to check it out.

A downed fighter, missing a wing.

A _Garrison_ fighter.

Gritting his teeth, Keith looked between it and the bunker. The cockpit was mostly intact, so there was a chance that its pilot could have survived. But every second up here meant a second longer exposed to danger-

-who was he kidding. He went for the fighter.

There was someone inside of it, but he couldn't tell if they were still alive or not. Drawing his knife, Keith jammed it into the cockpit, not pausing to think about the way it cut through it like it were butter. Once he had opened a hole, he sheathed it, grunting as he freed the trapped pilot from his restraints, hauling him out of the fighter.

On instinct, he checked his pulse, verifying that he was still alive. He didn't stop to do anything else, instead slinging his arm over his shoulder and hauling him back into the shack, down into the bunker with him. There were medical supplies in there, so he could treat him if need be.

He got him inside not a second too soon- just as he was about to close the trapdoor that lead to the bunker, the shack shook, a bright flash just outside the window. He didn't know if the fighter had exploded, or if one of the Galra fighters had spotted it, and had decided to fire on it just in case its pilot was still kicking, but that was as good enough a cue for Keith to retreat into the relative safety of the bunker.

He stopped to breathe once he did. It felt like he hadn't done so since he'd spotted the first ship.

Figures he'd be around for Earth's first full scale alien invasion. That was just the kind of luck he had.

The bunker was dark, but it didn't matter much to him. He had excellent night vision, above what he knew he should have. Still, the pilot would probably like a bit of light, so he turned on one of the two battery powered lanterns he had bought, setting it near where he had placed the man.

Right. He should probably check if he was injured.

It's only then, when he finally stopped to look at the pilot, that Keith realized that he _recognized_ him. Just to be sure, he worked their helmet off, but yeah- that's Adam.

They had only met twice, but he kind of stuck out in his memory. He still didn't know what had prompted him to give him that pamphlet, but sometimes Keith still sort of regretted not taking it.

Not now though. Right now he definitely didn't regret it.

Adam groaned, sending Keith back to reality. Setting his helmet aside, he checked him over for any injuries, but with the pressure suit, it was hard to tell. His breathing sounded fine, and there weren't any immediately obvious bloodstains- which didn't mean that he wasn't bleeding, just that if he was, it was likely all internal.

He hoped not, because he was pretty sure he'd be fucked if that were true.

Adam groaned again, and Keith froze. As his eyes flickered open, Keith held his breath, watching as he slowly regained consciousness.

"...where?" Adam croaked.

Turning his head, Adam stared at him in confusion for a long moment- before he jolted upright, way quicker than someone who had just survived being shot down should. Keith opened his mouth to say something, before Adam visibly relaxed, moment of panic seemingly over.

Instead, it transformed into recognition, followed shortly thereafter by confusion. "...Keith?"

At his name, Keith could only blink. Maybe he had remembered Adam, but he didn't expect Adam to remember _him_. It had almost been three years now since they saw each other last, and in his experience, most of the people who met him generally tried to forget him as quickly as possible.

Running a hand over the back of his head, Adam cast an equally confused look at his surroundings. "Where am I? The last thing I remember was being shot down."

Chewing on his lip, Keith debated what to tell him. If the Earth was being invaded by aliens, he guessed it didn't matter that much that he had been illegally living on Garrison property. It should have been _his_ property anyways.

"You did." Keith told him. "I pulled you from your fighter. We're in an underground bunker right now."

"Right," Adam mumbled, "-underground bunker. Of course."

He didn't know what to say to that, so he just nodded.

"I have to-" Adam began, trying to get to his feet, only to let out a sharp hiss, collapsing back on his rear. Nursing his right leg, he let out a grunt of pain. "Okay. Bad idea."

So he _was_ hurt. Frowning, Keith's brows knit together. "What's wrong with your leg?"

"Don't know." Adam admitted. "Hurt like hell when I tried to stand up. Might be broken. Can't tell with the pressure suit on."

"I've got some first aid supplies here." Keith told him.

"Okay, good, that's a start." Adam said. "Think you can help me get this suit off?"

Nodding his head, Keith stood up, crouching down behind Adam. Helping him shed his pressure suit, leaving him in the tank top and pants he wore under it, he winced a little at the sight of his leg. It was already starting to turn weird colors.

Adam hissed. "Definitely broken."

"We can splint it." Keith said, already cracking open the first aid kit, producing bandages. "I know how."

"Any chance you know how to set bones, too?" Adam asked, sounding vaguely hopeful. "I mean... I do, but I'm not wild about doing it to myself."

He did. Coming around, he crouched by Adam's leg, he carefully ran his hands over the length of it, determining what seemed to be out of place. Then, without comment, he quickly set the bones back into their correct locations, leaving Adam to hiss in pain, biting down on his tongue to keep himself from crying out.

"Okay," Adam managed, "-guess you do."

"I'll splint it now." Keith told him, sensing he would appreciate the heads up this time. He... probably should have done that before setting his bone.

He wasn't good at small talk, and taking care of Adam's injuries was more important anyways. Once the leg was braced, he sat back to assess his work. It looked good, but he'd only ever done first aid on himself, and he wasn't exactly a shining example of what a normal human was supposed to be.

Thankfully, Adam was quick to check it over himself. "It's good. Thanks, Keith."

He blinked again at the use of his name, unsure why. "What happened?"

"I'm guessing you saw the ships." Adam said.

"Kind of hard to miss." Keith deadpanned.

Letting out a weak chuckle, Adam heaved a sigh. "Guess Sam was right. All I know is that our whole squadron was sent out against them, and that none of us stood a chance."

Keith tensed a bit at that. "And the Garrison?"

"Sam built something called a particle barrier." Adam supplied. "Last I saw, it was working fine."

Keith let out a slight breath at that. Based on what he knew, if there was any group that had a chance of holding their own against the invaders, it was the Galaxy Garrison. Having them wiped out at the start of the fight would basically seal Earth's fate- especially since this _Voltron_ appeared lost.

There had been a ton of chatter after the leak. He even recognized two of the cadets that had become paladins, though it had taken him a second to recognize Colleen's daughter. But he'd recognized Tsuyoshi's son right away- he had photos of him in his office, after all. He was guessing that the third cadet was Lance McClain, the last of the missing cadets.

Who would have thought they would have gotten shot off into space to fight against evil aliens? It sounded unbelievable, yet Sam Holt's presence lent credibility to the claims.

And now the proof was here, staring them in the face.

For his part, Keith had never doubted it. He didn't know why. It all just sounded _right_.

It also meant that Colleen's children and Tsuyoshi's son were alive, so that was a good thing, right? He couldn't know for sure. Tsuyoshi had looked relieved the first time he'd come back to work after the leak, but in the ensuing weeks, he'd seen a certain sense of anxiety take its place.

He'd never asked. He never knew what to say.

All he knew was that the Garrison wasn't being very forthcoming with their answers. And that he only knew because he'd overheard a frustrated Tsuyoshi on his phone- it was noteworthy because it was the first and _only_ time he could ever recall him raising his voice.

From the sound of it, nobody actually knew where Voltron _was_.

"So," Adam's voice broke him out of his thoughts, "-you have a bunker?"

"My dad built it." Keith said absently.

Adam blinked at that. It took him a moment to place why, before he recalled that one of the two encounters he'd had with the Galaxy Garrison pilot had been at the _orphanage_.

"This used to be my dad's place." Keith hurriedly added. "Before he died."

"Where is _here_ , exactly?" Adam asked. "Because I'm pretty sure that when I went down, I was still over the desert."

"We're in the desert." Keith told him, sitting crosslegged next to Adam. "Maybe three, four miles out from the Garrison."

Adam merely inclined a brow at that. "I thought all the Garrison owned all the property around it for at least seven miles."

"Yeah, well," Keith frowned, "-it was my dad's first."

Adam simply hummed, seeming to accept that. Guess when the world was being invaded by aliens, someone freeloading on military property wasn't _exactly_ the most pressing concern.

"I need to try and contact the Garrison." Adam told him. "Any chance you've got a-?"

Before he could even finish, Keith produced the radio. "I'll just take that as a yes."

Adam tinkered with it for maybe ten minutes to no avail. The radio was obviously working- it was picking up on a few other channels in the area, just not any of the standard Galaxy Garrison frequencies.

Keith watched, eyes narrowed. "Maybe that particle barrier thing you mentioned is getting in the way of the signal?"

Heaving a sigh, Adam set down the transceiver. "Could be. This is a pretty old model, and we didn't exactly get to test the particle barrier before it went up. If I still had my ship, I could probably radio for help, but..."

"It blew up." Keith supplied.

"Right," Adam said, "-so that's out."

"We might be able to use the radio on my hoverbike." Keith noted. "Just... not right now."

"Yeah, god no." Adam agreed. "We're not going out there until they stop firing. Although actually I guess _I'm_ not going much of anywhere, with my leg in the condition its in."

Keith squinted, unable to determine if that was a joke.

They sat in silence for awhile after that, Keith offering Adam a bottle of water. If he was going to have another person around here, he should probably try and get some more. He didn't know how long his running water would _stay_ running, what with the very probable collapse of society as they knew it.

There might be time once the shooting stopped to run into town. He figured these Galra would probably start prepping landing parties once they figured all major resistance was neutralized, but no matter how advanced they were, something like that would take time. He was pretty well stocked, but it never hurt to have extra supplies.

Plus there were people in town he was worried about- Tsuyoshi and his family, the kids from the orphanage. _Especially_ the kids. They didn't have anyone else to turn to.

But until the shooting stopped, they were both stuck here.

* * *

The shooting stopped.

Keith noticed it first, lifting his head. At first, Adam simply thought he'd heard something he couldn't, but he quickly realized what caught Keith's attention was not a sound, but the _absence_ of it.

After a few minutes of nothing but silence, Keith rose to his feet, motioning towards the trapdoor with his head. Adam nodded- he didn't like the idea of sending someone who was just barely an adult- if that- out to check, but with his leg the way it was, he didn't have much of a choice.

Keith nodded in turn, his eyes catching the light of the lantern for a split second. He'd been down here with him for what felt like hours now, and even though it probably hadn't actually been that long, it was still long enough for Adam to determine that as strange as that was, it was no illusion.

But they were in the middle of full scale alien invasion. A kid with glowing eyes was the _least_ of his problems.

Keith disappeared up into the... whatever was above ground. He'd been out cold when he had been dragged down here, so he didn't exactly know. A house? Maybe a shed of some kind, that was attached to one. Except he didn't think there were any houses this far out in the desert- there had been one, years ago, but it had been destroyed.

He wasn't even aware he was holding his breath until he let it out, the trapdoor cracking open, one of Keith's booted feet descending back down the ladder. He tossed him something, which Adam caught on instinct, squinting down at the package.

Oh. Potato chips.

"Thought you might be hungry." Keith absently remarked. "Shack's still intact. Your ship's not."

"Shack?" Adam asked, cracking open the bag, idly munching on a chip.

"My dad's. I've kind of been living here since I aged out of the system." Keith supplied, then seemed to almost wince, like he was worried he'd shared too much. "I'm going to head into town while I still have the chance. Do you want me to move you upstairs into the shack, or...?"

"I'll stay down here." Adam replied. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"No," Keith admitted, "-but if I don't do it now, I might not have another chance."

Fair point. He hadn't heard much about the way these Galra conquered planets, but if he had any chance of making it to town and back safely, now was probably his best chance.

"I can try contacting the Garrison." Keith told him. "I'd offer to drive you there, but..."

"Yeah, I'm not sure how well my leg would hold up on a hoverbike." Adam said. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was going for, but Keith still blinked, like he was surprised by it.

He still couldn't believe that the one who had rescued him was _Keith Kogane_ , of all possible people. Adam wasn't the one to believe in fate, but even he was forced to admit that this was one hell of a coincidence.

He hadn't seen the kid since that time at the orphanage, but he did remember him. He'd never showed up at the Garrison, so he could only guess that he had turned down the late entry program. He wondered if he was still working at that same mechanics shop.

Emphasis on the _was_.

Thinking about Keith inevitably made him think about Takashi. The kid was the focus of one of the last conversations they'd had before he'd launched for Kerberos. When he had first heard about the mission failure, it had struck him that it really _was_ his last conversation with Takashi.

At least it was a better final conversation than _breaking up_.

Except now Takashi was alive, and was a paladin of Voltron. Its _leader_ , in fact.

Adam... well, he didn't know what to think about that. He'd been trying _not_ to think about it. He'd thought Takashi was dead for so long, that he'd... just trying to wrap his head around the opposite being true proved to be a challenge.

He wasn't sure he was ready to deal with those feelings just yet.

Keith crouched down by the radio, adjusting it a bit. "It's set to my bike's frequency. If something happens-"

"-I'll contact you." Adam finished. "Same goes for you. Be careful."

Keith blinked again, like he hadn't expected him to say that, even though it was the most natural thing in the world under the circumstances. Instead of saying anything, he just wordlessly nodded, disappearing beyond the trapdoor for a second time.

Right. Socially awkward. Got it.

* * *

The smell of smoke clung to the air.

It was enough to make his eyes water, its traces stinging. Yanking down his goggles, he secured them over his eyes, blinking a few times to get the smoke out. There were no signs of any Galra ships, but he didn't imagine it would stay that way for long.

He tried to get in touch with the Galaxy Garrison over the radio, but he wasn't able to get through. But even from here, three miles out, he could see what had to be the particle barrier Adam had mentioned- it rose like a dome over the desert.

It reminded him of a cage.

He could go directly to the Garrison. They could probably get an cruiser to transport Adam. But that wasn't his most pressing concern right now. Given time, he could find a way to return Adam to the Garrison, but if he didn't do this supply run now, he might not get another chance.

He wasn't exactly planning on staying with the Garrison himself. Sooner or later, he'd probably just cause trouble for them.

So instead, he turned in the direction of Plaht City.

It had been decimated. There was no other way to describe it. Skyscrapers had collapsed in on themselves, and there were craters where single family homes were located. He shuddered, trying not to think how many had died during the initial assault.

But there were still people alive. He saw them- milling about, looking towards the skies with anxiety, _fear_. Some of them mumbled as they spotted his hoverbike, but he wasn't the only one on the move- there were others trying to navigate the ruined streets, familiar made strange- almost alien.

Some were trying to leave. Others were trying to help. Everyone was afraid.

When he got to the orphanage, he noticed right away that the back half of the building had collapsed. He swallowed- that wasn't a good sign.

To his surprise, he wasn't the only one there. There were others who had gathered outside of it, some of whom he recognized as volunteers, ones who lived nearby. Hopping off his hoverbike, Keith pulled up his goggles, hurrying to see what was going on.

One of them looked up, and he tried in vain to recall her name. She was new, and mostly dealt with the older kids, so he didn't exactly talk to her that much. But she recognized him- and more importantly he recognized that look in her eyes.

"We can't get in," she hurriedly supplied, "-the door frame is warped, and the windows are blocked by debris. We think the ceiling collapsed on the first floor."

He told her something to the effect of _let me try_ , assessing the door for himself. Drawing his knife, he used it to work the hinges- if it could slice through the cockpit of a Garrison fighter, it could probably cut through them too.

He was right. Sheathing his knife, he was able to pull the door from its frame, tossing it to the side. Dimly, he was aware of people muttering behind him, but he pointedly chose to ignore it. People had talked about him behind his back all his life, this was nothing new.

The first thing that hit him was the scent of blood.

He had to bite down on his lip to keep it from overtaking his senses. It was powerful, but it was largely coming from the back of the house- so if there was anyone in the front end, there was a chance that they might have been saved.

He prayed there was.

Stepping aside, he nodded to the other would be rescuers. They quickly snapped their mouths shut, all setting to work with a grim sense of urgency.

There were twenty three kids residing within the orphanage at last check. They only found eight. He pieced together the story from those who had seen it- that it had been hit by one of the first blasts, that there had been no time for anyone to evacuate.

He felt his blood boil.

Who were these Galra to just... to just _do_ something like this? This wasn't a military base- Plaht City had no offensive capabilities. It wasn't a threat. And yet they had fired on it like it was one, and in the process, they had killed probably dozens, if not hundreds of people.

Including _kids_.

Including orphans, like him. If he hadn't... if the Galra had attacked just maybe two, three years earlier, this could have been _him_. He could have died, crushed under rubble.

At some point, he staggered out of the house. He dimly recalled telling someone to take the surviving kids to the Garrison while they still had the chance- that it was safe, probably the safest place they could go. He didn't stick around long enough to see if they agreed.

He just had to get away from there. Away from the overpowering scent of death.

Not that there was much escape from it within the confines of the city. He'd gladly trade it for the scent of smoke.

Navigating roads made unfamiliar, Keith found a hardware store. He grabbed packs of batteries and a flashlight- he didn't need it, but Adam might. Grabbing some jerky and bottled water, he shoved them into the storage compartment of his hoverbike, debating leaving behind some cash, but figured it wouldn't really matter much at this point.

Besides, he wasn't exactly the only one doing it.

There was even more chaos at the grocery store, but he still managed to grab a few things. Mostly non-perishables, a few snacks, just because. He found some more bandages and some disinfectant, and grabbed those as well, as well as some painkillers. Adam hadn't complained, but if his leg was broken, he'd probably appreciate it.

Shoving them all into the storage compartment of his bike, he headed to his last destination- the Garrett family home. Today was their day off, so if his boss was anywhere, it would be at home.

His instincts proved right.

A look of relief washed over Tsuyoshi's features at the sight of him, causing Keith to blink. He didn't think he'd be that worried about him- sure, he'd invited him over to dinner a few times, but Keith thought that was just because he was lonely with his son gone.

Maybe he'd been wrong.

"Glad to see you made it out okay." Tsuyoshi told him.

"I- yeah." Nodding his head, Keith frowned. "You too."

"Think they'll come back?" Tsuyoshi asked, sounding pensive.

"Probably." Keith said. "Where's your wife?"

"Inside, packing." Tsuyoshi reported.

"So you're evacuating?" Keith asked, blinking.

"Something like that." Tsuyoshi told him. "My daughter and her husband took their kids on a trip to California. We can't get in contact with them."

"So you're just... going to try and drive to California." Keith stated. "In the middle of an alien invasion."

"She's my daughter." Tsuyoshi said simply. "I can't leave her."

Yeah. Yeah, that made sense. Especially since the fate of his son, his only other child, was currently unknown. And if the Galra had reached Earth, then the odds for his survival didn't seem good.

But he didn't say that.

"Okay," Keith nodded, "-okay. Good luck."

Tsuyoshi glanced down at him, before resting a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "You could come with us."

"Can't." Keith automatically replied. Even without Adam waiting for him back at the shack, this wasn't something he should invade. They let him into their home, but he wasn't a part of their family.

They were just kind, that was all.

Tsuyoshi frowned, but just gave his shoulder another light squeeze. "Stay safe then. Help yourself to anything you like back at the shop."

Keith blinked, then slowly nodded. "Be safe."

"No promises," Tsuyoshi told him, "-but we'll do our best."

He exchanged some brief words with his wife, before departing. He stopped by the shop for a few minutes, long enough to grab some of the work gloves and some fuel, strapping them to either side of his hoverbike. They might come in handy.

With that done, he left the ruins of Plaht City behind him.

He had just barely gotten his hoverbike pulled into the storage shed before he spotted the first Galra fighter. Hiding himself in the shadow of the shed, he held his breath until it disappeared over the horizon.

It was heading in the direction of Plaht City.

Once he was sure it was gone, he let out a breath. Making haste, he hauled most of the supplies back into the shack, leaving the fuel behind in the shed with his bike. Cracking open the trapdoor, he poked his head down.

Adam stared up at him.

"You're back." He said. "Any luck with the Garrison?"

"None." Keith shook his head. "You want up?"

"Is it safe?" Adam asked.

"For now. I saw a scout ship earlier, but it was headed in the opposite direction." Keith told him.

"They're probably focusing on metropolitan areas." Adam observed, pushing himself to his feet, putting all his weight on his uninjured leg. Slipping down into the bunker, Keith helped him get back above ground- it was hard going, but they managed somehow.

"What's it like out there?" Adam asked.

"It's bad." Keith told him, not seeing any reason to mince his words. "But the Garrison is still standing."

He let out a sigh of relief at that. "Okay. Good. That means we still have a chance."

Keith arched a brow at that. "A chance of what?"

Adam leveled his gaze with that of his own, unblinking. "Of fighting back."


	2. after the dust settles

Here's the next chapter! Today I spent the morning dealing with a washer repairman, because, of all possible things, a pair of pants had literally wedged themselves in between parts of the washer and we literally could not get them out. Wild. But at least we got that fixed! Also, let me tell you, I cannot count the number of times while writing Adam's POV that I had to go back and change Shiro's name to Takashi. It's so easy to forget that he calls him by his first name!

Anyways, I hope everyone likes the new chapter! Until next time!

* * *

 **flicker**

 **chapter two**

 **after the dust settles**

* * *

For all that they were in the middle of a full scale alien invasion, Keith seemed awfully calm. He set to his tasks with an almost detached sense of efficiency, hauling out large, empty jugs and gradually filling them up with water. He'd offered to help, but Keith had just turned him down, citing his broken leg.

Which was as good enough an argument as any, but it still made Adam feel restless- not to mention kind of useless. Leaving all the work to a kid just didn't feel right.

He'd already gathered that Keith wasn't much of a talker- he did most of his work in complete silence. It was only when he caught Adam looking at him, that he thought maybe he should say something.

"Don't know how long we'll have running water for." Keith explained. "I know where to find an underground spring that has clean water, but it's at least a mile out into the desert. Best to fill these up while we still have the chance."

"I'm just surprised you even get running water out here." Adam observed.

Keith responded to that with a simple hum, lapsing back into silence. Adam accepted it for what it was. He was pretty sure that Keith hadn't expected to have company during what might as well basically qualify as the end of society as they knew it.

He wished he could say with confidence that the Garrison was well equipped enough to chase away the Galra, but he knew that wasn't true. They had the particle barrier, the fusion cannon, and the MFEs- but they had never managed to get the Atlas up and running, and the MFEs could only go so far before they ran out of charge.

He knew what he said to Keith, but without Voltron, he didn't know how much of a chance they had. But it was still better than nothing- if Sam hadn't arrived when he did, they would have been taken completely off guard by the invasion, and he couldn't imagine how much worse off they would be as a result.

He might be dead, for one thing. He shuddered at the thought.

Limping over to the window, he peered out, staring at the wreckage of what used to be his fighter. It was barely recognizable as such now, mostly just a pile of twisted metal at this point. He was lucky he had survived the crash, and even luckier that Keith had pulled him out of there. If he hadn't, he would have never made it.

Noticing his movement, Keith looked back. He chewed on his lip for a second, as if he were trying to decide what to say, and in the end, seemed to decide to go for the default. "You okay?"

"I've been better," Adam admitted, "-but I'm not in there, at least."

Keith grunted in acknowledgment, pulling the last of the water jugs off the counter and setting it on the floor, securing the cap. "We should probably take advantage of the running water as long as we have it. I'm going to shower."

"If this was a horror movie, that's a decision that would get you killed." Adam quipped.

"Good thing this isn't a horror movie." Keith observed- and for the life of him, he couldn't tell if that was a joke or not. Kid was pretty hard to read.

Keith ducked into the bathroom, before pausing, hovering at the door and looking back at him. "I... probably nothing I have would fit you, but there are some of my dad's old clothes around here somewhere, so if you want...?"

Glancing down at his own clothes, Adam frowned. Wearing a dead man's clothes sounded kind of weird, but he wasn't sure a tank top was really the best choice for dealing with desert nights. They could get pretty cold. "A jacket might be nice?"

Keith hummed, sliding out a box from under the couch, cracking it open. Shuffling through it for a few moments, he retrieved a beige jacket. He didn't miss the way he hesitated, fingers brushing over the material, before he shut the box, shoving it back under the couch.

"Here," holding out the jacket to him, Keith avoided looking him in the eye, "-this should be fine, right?"

Adam almost felt guilty about taking it from him- it was clearly important to him. But Keith was the one who had offered, so he accepted it. "Thanks."

Nodding his head, Keith disappeared into the bathroom for real this time, shutting the door behind him. He wasn't in there for very long- probably just long enough to get the smell of smoke out of his hair. It was still damp when he came back out, red jacket tied around his waist, just underneath his belt.

He paused, taking in the sight of him in his father's jacket. "I'd offer you a shower, but..."

Adam grimaced, placing a hand lightly over his right knee. He'd propped it up on the makeshift table, having adjusted the sole dusty pillow on the couch to make himself a bit more comfortable. Keith had brought him so painkillers from town, and they helped, just not as much as they could.

"I'll figure something out." Adam told him. "Don't worry about me. You've already been a huge help."

Kid had saved his life. He pretty much owed him one.

"So," Keith frowned, obviously searching for something to talk about, "...do you think they're really going to come?"

It wasn't hard to guess who he meant. "Voltron?"

Pulling out the only other chair in the shack, Keith sat backwards in it, resting his arms on the back. His stare was intense, almost unnaturally so- suddenly, he could sort of understand what James had meant the one time he'd admitted that he was sort of creeped out by him.

It was apparently why they had never got along. But Adam was an adult, not a child- so he took Keith's unblinking stare in stride.

"Voltron," Keith mouthed, as if he were testing the sound of it, "-yeah, them."

That was a loaded question. He didn't think Keith knew just _how_ loaded it was- he had no way of knowing his connection to Takashi. The fact that he was the black paladin wasn't even public information- even after the leak, that part had been kept under wraps. It wasn't exactly like Sam had been _trying_ to keep it a secret, it was just that he didn't have any actual proof to back up that claim.

Takashi hadn't left a video message for anyone. Not even him.

He didn't know what to think about that. Some part of him felt like he deserved it. They'd left things on a pretty bad note.

But Keith was still waiting for an answer.

"I... I think so." Adam said after a moment. "Earth is their home. I don't think they'll abandon us."

Even if he knew that their whereabouts were actually unknown. According to the transmission from Sam's son, the paladins of Voltron had all disappeared. No one knew where they had gone, or even what had happened to them.

But he wanted to believe. He'd _just_ found out that Takashi was alive not so long ago. Whatever his feelings on the matter, he didn't want to believe that he could just _die_ like that, not after it turned out he was actually alive.

Besides, if he didn't come back, how could he ever tell him that he'd told him so?

Look, he had the right to it. Takashi had gone to Kerberos, just like he had told him _not_ to, and he'd ended up getting abducted by aliens. He had been one hundred percent right, just not for the reasons he'd thought.

Keith just hummed- and finally blinked, Adam dimly noted. For a second, he thought he was going to lapse back into silence again, but instead he chose to speak. "Hunk Garrett is the son of my boss."

Huh. He hadn't actually made that link yet, but he guessed it was true.

"Did you see him?" Adam asked. "Your boss?"

Keith rested his head on his arms, brows furrowing. "He said he was going to California. He wanted to find his daughter."

"Risky," Adam observed, "-but I can understand why."

"Yeah," Keith agreed, "-me too."

This time they lapsed into silence for real. He wondered what Keith was thinking about. He didn't exactly have any family to worry about.

He thought about his own parents. His mother had been initially resistant to his father's idea of spending their retirement out by the remote lakeside, tucked away in the country, not wanting to leave the convenience of the city behind. But reflecting on it now, odds were, that decision had probably saved their lives.

At least in the initial assault.

He didn't want to think about how many lives had been lost. He just knew that it was too many.

Absently rubbing his knee, Adam stared at his leg. If it hadn't been for Keith, he'd be one of them.

Looking up at Keith, he wondered if he was at all scared. He seemed so calm. But he was also only nineteen. He had to be at least a little terrified.

Lifting his head, Keith caught his gaze with a slight frown. "What?"

"Nothing," Adam told him, "-just thinking."

Keith hummed again, closing his eyes. "Try not to think too much."

He laughed, just a bit at that. It sounded an awful lot like he was trying to give him _advice_. Like he wasn't the adult in this scenario.

But then... he guessed when it came to world shattering events, Keith had one up on him. He didn't know the first thing about his family, but he knew that he was an orphan. Going through something like that... it probably put certain things into perspective.

He wondered how young he'd been.

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

They ended up sleeping in shifts.

He'd wanted to protest the idea, but doing so would force him to say _why_ , and he'd rather Adam didn't know about his freakish sleep patterns just yet. So instead, he spent the time he was supposed to be sleeping doing well... anything else, really. If he kept himself to the bunker, Adam wouldn't have to know.

It wasn't like he was skipping sleep. It was just that he could survive off way less than most people could. Yet another weird fact on a lengthy checklist of weird facts.

It was probably for the best. He was too anxious to sleep that first night anyways. He didn't think the Galra would pay his shack any attention for awhile, but he couldn't be _sure_. And it was that uncertainty that prevented him from feeling completely safe.

But that was also a feeling he was accustomed to, just one that he hadn't felt in a long time. When he had been living in foster care, or in orphanages... there had always been that layer of uncertainty. The foster home where he hadn't been allowed to lock his door had been the worst- even _with_ his unusual sleep patterns, he had still ended up sleep deprived.

Out here in the desert, he didn't have to worry about any of that. At least, not until now.

With a huff, Keith leaned back against the wall, drawing his knife. He hadn't exactly forgotten the strange way it had reacted just before the first ships showed up, but he just hadn't had the time to think about it until now. He had always known that there was something special about the knife- he just didn't know _what_.

Glancing up towards the trap door, he bit down on his lip. He had a few hours before Adam came to switch with him, so it would probably be fine.

Fixing his attention back on his knife, he carefully unwound the bandages from around its hilt. He had never seen his dad without the knife, but he'd also never seen it without its wrappings. At least, not until his dad died, and he'd let curiosity get the better of him.

He didn't exactly expect a glowing stone.

Or to be more exact, it was the sigil- or maybe the rune, the mark, whatever it was- that was carved into the stone that glowed. Tracing it with his finger, he frowned. It had always felt warm to the touch, unlike the rest of the knife, which didn't seem to react to temperature the same way any other metal he had worked with did. Even during the hottest days, it stayed cool to the touch.

Metal also didn't usually reflect the same way his knife did, and it definitely couldn't slice through the material the Garrison used for their cockpits. He'd never had to do any kind of maintenance on it either- whatever it was made of, it stayed sharp.

Turning the knife over in his hands, Keith frowned. He knew he should probably turn the lantern off, save the battery, but part of him was too paranoid to. What if Adam thought it was weird that he could see in the dark? If they were going to be stuck together until his leg healed, the last thing he wanted to do was to sour things between them.

He didn't exactly expect them to become friends, but at the very least, he'd like for them to get along. Or at the very least, to not hate each other.

Catching the light of the lantern, his eyes glinted, reflected back at him on the knife. His frown deepened, one hand straying upwards, tugging at the corner of one of his eyes. He didn't know why they did that either, they just always had. He hadn't even known they weren't supposed to until his first bunkmates had freaked out about it so badly.

Closing his eyes, he let out a long sigh. Maybe he was actually some top secret government experiment his dad had run away with or something. He didn't exactly talk a lot about his past, and as far as he knew, he didn't have any other family.

Or maybe he was an alien, since those were apparently real.

Letting out a snort, Keith opened his eyes. Either option sounded better than just being some inexplicable freak of nature. But at least whatever the source of his weirdness was, he'd be able to put it to good use.

Tying the bandages back around his knife, he sheathed it back in its hilt.

Tomorrow, they'd need to figure out a routine, plan their next step. Tonight... tonight maybe he should try and get some rest, even if he wasn't actually tired. There was no telling when his next chance would be.

Switching off the lantern, Keith laid down against the bedroll, curling up on his side. Closing his eyes, he tried not to think about the uncertainty of tomorrow. Of surviving. Here, in this moment, he was safe- and he clung to that feeling of safety for all it was worth.

For the first time in ages, he wished his dad were here. He'd probably be able to tell him what to do. He always knew. He smiled at the thought, recalling how much he had looked up to him growing up- like he could do anything.

Except come back from that fire, he guessed.

He had done what was right. He had never stopped being proud of that, no matter how much he missed him.

He just wished he were capable of doing the same.

* * *

"We should try to contact the Garrison."

Adam glanced up at Keith with a slight frown. The night had passed without event, though he couldn't say he had exactly gotten much sleep. If it wasn't his leg, it was the omnipresent threat of aliens. Thankfully, Keith had coffee, and a battery operated coffee machine to make it with, even if it was way too strong for his tastes.

Guess he was right about this place not having electricity. Not that it would make much difference now.

"I thought you said you couldn't." Adam said.

"Not using my bike, no." Keith told him. "But my dad left some radio equipment behind. Maybe we could use that."

As if to illustrate, Keith set down his mug. Walking over to one of the far corners of the shack, he grabbed a ream of cloth, tugging it away from what it had been concealing. Letting it fall to the floor, Keith stepped back, showing him the equipment in question.

Adam's jaw nearly dropped.

"Keith," he began slowly, "-do you know what that is?"

Keith just frowned. "A radio?"

Okay, fair enough. It was that. It didn't actually surprise him that much that Keith didn't recognize what it was that he had on his hands- this wasn't exactly something you would expect to find in the hands of a civilian. He only recognized it because of all the time he'd spent in the Garrison's communications room, waiting to see if they ever actually heard back from Voltron.

Usually, it had just been him and the communications officer. But sometimes Sam's wife and Cadet McClain's sister would come by- occasionally even Sam himself, when he could spare a moment, which wasn't often.

"It's a deep space radio." Adam told him. "It's capable of picking up on frequencies from far beyond our planet."

Keith stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't exactly blame him.

"Are you sure this was your father's?" Adam asked. "The Garrison could have-"

"No." Keith said quickly. "I don't think the Garrison's touched this place since they bought the land."

Okay then. Guess Keith'd know best. It still didn't explain what a civilian was doing with this kind of technology- assuming Keith's father _was_ a civilian.

"He didn't work for the Garrison, did he?" Adam ventured.

"He was a firefighter." Keith told him.

Guess not then. Adam frowned, studying the radio. A lot of it looked as if it was a custom build, so whoever Keith's father was, he had to have been pretty good with his hands. That still didn't explain why he wanted to monitor deep space frequencies- it was a bit dated, but with a radio like this, you could probably hear all the way out past Kerberos.

A hobby? People had been chasing the existence of aliens for years. It might explain why he had chosen to live out on such a remote patch of land.

"So... can we use it?" Keith asked, sounding hesitant, like he regretted even bringing it up.

"We _could_ ," Adam frowned, "-but it's not really built for short range transmissions. The odds that the Galra might pick up on the transmission are pretty high."

"Oh," Keith frowned, face falling, "-sorry. Thought it would work."

Geez. It felt like he'd kicked a puppy, not pointed out the inherent flaw in Keith's idea.

"Still, it might actually prove useful." Adam told him. "We might be able to listen in on the Galra with this."

"Wouldn't they know?" Keith asked.

"As long as we don't transmit anything, it should be fine." Adam said. "Provided we can get it working. You say this thing has been here since you used to live here?"

Nodding his head, Keith brushed a bit of dust off of the old radio to emphasize.

"Right. Guess we have our work cut out for us then." Adam said.

"I could probably fix it." Keith told him. "I don't exactly have any experience with deep space radios, but I know how to fix car radios."

He wanted to say that car radios and deep space radios were two very different things, but it was still more experience than he had. The worst that could come of it was that it just wouldn't work.

"Can't hurt." Adam said.

If they could get it up and running, it meant that they would be able to keep tabs on what it was that the Galra were up to. If they could learn their patrol patterns...

...well, he didn't know what they would do with that information, not exactly. But it might come in handy.

Tilting his head, Keith absently turned one of the knobs, before nodding his head. His coffee abandoned, he set to work right away. Adam couldn't help but smile- something about the laser focus that he applied to tinkering with the radio reminded him of Takashi. He could get like that too.

Thinking about Takashi stung. He wanted to believe that he was alive- and that he, and Voltron, would come, but he wasn't sure if he was willing to put his complete faith in that. He knew that Takashi would do whatever he could to get back Earth, especially if he knew they were in danger, but there was no telling what might have happened to him.

But unless Sam got the Atlas to work, Voltron was the best chance they had.

That was a sobering thought. It didn't mean they'd go down easy, but he'd seen the overwhelming difference between them and the Galra himself. Pilots, capable pilots, ones he'd known for _years_ had gone down in an instant, barely able to even put up a fight.

Sensing that the repair work would take time, Adam downed the last of his coffee. Setting down his mug, he hauled himself to his feet, limping towards the window. Pulling back the curtains, he peered out, an involuntary shudder running down his spine at the sight of the remains of his fighter.

He was lucky to be alive.

Out of the corner of his eye, Keith briefly lifted his head. For a second, it looked like he was going to say something- before he ducked his head, under the pretense of returning to work.

It just felt like he hadn't been able to think of anything to say.

Even if Voltron came, even if they repelled the Galra... it didn't do anything for the lives that were already lost.

But what they _could_ do was fight back. Struggle. _Survive_. Maybe they didn't have the firepower to match up to the Galra, but they had spirit- and they weren't about to just curl up and admit defeat. Not by a long shot. The human spirit was a tenacious one- they would survive, endure.

As long as they didn't give up, a path to victory would surely present itself.

* * *

"I think I got it."

He knew how uncertain he sounded. He'd quickly realized just how different this radio was from the ones he'd worked on in the past, but after a bit of tinkering, he had more or less figured out what needed to be done. Working on it had brought back memories- ones of his dad, coming out here to the shack when he had free time.

He had always been tinkering with the radio. At the time, he'd been too young to understand it, or even care about it- it didn't do anything fun, so it had never interested him. But reflecting back on it, he recalled the somber look on his father's face as he listened.

He wondered what he'd been hoping to hear.

But he pushed back such thoughts, instead focusing on the task at hand. Adam was right- if they could pick up on the Galra's signal, it would be a huge help.

"Great job, Keith." Adam told him, the earnest praise giving him pause. "Let's give it a test."

Nodding, Keith tweaked the radio. For a long second, there was nothing but static. He frowned- either he hadn't gotten it working at all, or the Galra were using frequencies that it couldn't pick up on.

There was a loud crackle of static, forcing him to clamp his hands over his ears. Too little, too late- his ears were still ringing when the transmission finally came through, only just barely able to catch the last part of it.

"-status report."

He froze, eyes darting towards Adam. The pilot's eyes were narrowed, but he caught his gaze, giving him a firm nod of his head.

This had to be one of the Galra.

"All targets have been completely neutralized, Commander."

 _Neutralized_. Keith felt his stomach drop. For a second, all he could think about was the orphanage, and the stench of blood that clung to it.

"Good," the voice that replied was cold, like ice, "-begin preparations for the next phase of the invasion."

"The next phase...?" Adam muttered.

"Soldiers," Keith mumbled, "-he has to mean soldiers. Ground forces."

Whoever this _Commander_ was, somehow Keith didn't doubt that he was the one in charge. He burned his voice into his memory, and along with it, the scent of blood and smoke.

This was _his_ doing.

There wasn't any more to the transmission after that. Just static. But he guessed that if these Galra were as good as they were supposed to be at conquering planets, they didn't exactly need a step by step guide of how to do it.

"I guess just blowing everything to hell wasn't enough for them." Adam remarked.

"Guess not." Keith frowned. "What should we do?"

"Stay put." Adam told him. "There's not much else we _can_ do."

Gritting his teeth, Keith nodded. He hated to admit it, but Adam was right. There were only two of them, and one of them wasn't anywhere near fighting capacity. Not to mention the fact that they knew nothing about the invasion methods that the Galra used- they just didn't know enough.

"Frustrated?" Adam asked.

Keith narrowed his eyes. "It just feels like there's something I could be doing. Something _more_."

"I know the feeling." Adam said. "At least you've got two good legs."

Hm. Good point.

"We should probably check on your leg." Keith said. "Make sure it's not turning any weird colors."

"Probably." Adam admitted. "But before that, I think you should probably consider getting something to eat."

He blinked. Now that he mentioned it, he hadn't had anything to eat since he'd started working on the radio, and though that didn't feel like all that long ago, judging by the shadows, it was probably already late in the afternoon.

He hadn't even finished his coffee. That... probably explained a few things.

"Solid idea." Keith noted. "Have you...?"

"Helped myself to some granola bars." Adam replied. "Not to mention an off brand Pop-tart. Although... really? _Pop-tarts_?"

Keith frowned. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Adam said, "-just... I don't exactly peg you as the type for liking sweet stuff."

Yeah, he got that a lot. Grabbing the box of granola bars that Adam had already opened, he pulled one out, grabbing his chair as he unwrapped it. They would have to figure out exactly how to ration their food- he could probably hunt between patrols, but that would only last them for so long. There was no telling what the Galra invasion would do to the local wildlife.

He had just barely finished the granola bar when they heard the sound of engines overhead. Freezing, they both held their breath until it passed, slowly letting themselves exhale.

"Sounded like it was headed towards Plaht City." Adam observed.

Nodding his head, Keith twitched the back window curtains open. He could just faintly make out the dull gray fighter disappearing in that direction. Guess the one he saw yesterday must have been a scout.

Made sense. If they were going to start invading, they'd need to know exactly where all the largest population centers were. He doubted that the bombardment had spared any corner of the Earth mercy, but there were enough cities out there that he doubted the Galra had bombed _all_ of them into oblivion.

"So... what do you think they'll do?" Keith asked.

"I don't know." Adam admitted. "I wish I did."

Leaning back in his chair, Keith blew out a breath. That wasn't exactly a satisfactory answer.

A thought occurred to him. "Do you think it's because of Voltron?"

"The invasion?" Adam asked, considering it. "I'm not sure. It could be."

Tucking one of his feet up onto the chair, Keith frowned. Maybe the Galra thought they could lure Voltron into a trap if they attacked Earth. Most of the paladins were human, right?

He thought about Tsuyoshi's son. About Colleen's daughter. Veronica's brother. Three cadets, for three lions.

He wondered who flew the other two.

Takashi Shirogane? Matt Holt? They were both unaccounted for. But if Sam Holt was alive, then they probably both had to be as well.

Or maybe it was just some aliens. They didn't _have_ to be all human. It actually made more sense to him that they weren't. He didn't know about the other two, but he knew Tsuyoshi's son wasn't a pilot- he was an _engineer_. Probably a good one, if his father was anything to go by, but still not a pilot.

He'd wanted to be a pilot, once. Part of him still did.

"Do you know anything about them?" Keith asked. "The paladins, I mean."

"Probably not much more than you do." Adam stated. "Sam told me his daughter flies the green lion."

Daughter. Guess Matt Holt wasn't a paladin, then.

"What about the others?" Keith asked.

"Your boss is Tsuyoshi Garrett, right?" Adam asked, and Keith had to right the urge to add _ex_ -boss in front of that. It wasn't exactly like anyone had a job anymore. "I think his son is the yellow paladin."

"The last of the missing cadets, Lance McClain, he flies the blue lion." Adam told him. "I think the red lion is flown by some kind of alien princess."

Alien princess. Sure, why not. They were already talking about flying robot lions here.

"What about the black lion?" Keith asked. "Does an alien fly the black lion too?"

Adam shook his head, his expression taking a turn for the rueful. At least... Keith thought it did. Again, he wasn't exactly the best at discerning facial expressions.

"No," he said, "-the black lion... its paladin is Takashi Shirogane."

The name was spoken with such familiarity, that Keith didn't even have to ask if they had been close. He just knew.

Huh. It was kind of funny- except for the red paladin, he had a connection to each of them. He supposed in the case of the blue paladin, that connection was pretty weak- he'd only met Veronica one other time aside from that time at the coffee shop, and only briefly at that, but it still counted.

He didn't know what to make of that information. Or even if he _should_ make anything of it. Odds were, it was probably just coincidence.

Or maybe it was just the universe's own way of taunting him. Reminding him that no matter how close he got to it, that he was never destined for anything great.

And in spite of what his father had always told him, he knew that was true.


	3. things that remain behind

Whew! So, how about that season eight? The fact that they killed off Allura was absolutely bullshit- like, to an extent I don't even want to fully get into here. Other than that, I pretty much enjoyed the season, even though there were a few awkward pacing issues in the early episodes (as glad as I was to see both Zethrid and Ezor alive and kicking, that episode definitely suffered the most from them- where did Ezor come from? How did Acxa know they'd broken up? Is there a space lesbian newsletter?). Honerva as the final antagonist was fantastic, though I'm kind of on the fence about her redemption. I'd probably need to watch the season again to really make up my mind about it.

Also big mood is learning Admiral Sanda's first name but not the name of Keith's father... wow.

That said, here's the next chapter! I hope everyone enjoys!

* * *

 **flicker**

 **chapter three**

 **things that remain behind**

* * *

Out in the desert, time went by slowly.

It was a lesson Keith knew well from his childhood. Even after he'd moved on, he'd never forgotten it. It was part of what made adjusting to living in a city so difficult for him. He'd never picked up the rhythm of it, ever. It was why coming back had been such a relief.

But things had changed.

It had been a full week now since Earth had been invaded by the Galra. Even the hard and fast rule that he had been taught as a child didn't seem to apply any longer. Time still moved slowly out here- but now it seemed to drag on, like he was simply waiting for the inevitable.

Like they all were.

Since that first fighter, he'd seen more than a dozen others in the sky. Thankfully, none of them had spotted them yet. Just like they thought, they were more interested in Plaht City and its inhabitants. He tried to gather intelligence about what exactly was going on using the deep space radio, but communications between the Galra were sparse.

But he had learned one thing.

"Sendak," Keith repeated, "-they called him Sendak."

Adam didn't say anything, just narrowed his eyes. They waited in silence for the rest of the transmission, but nothing further came. Only then did Adam allow his shoulders to relax, though the grim expression on his face didn't change.

"I've heard that name before." He stated. "From Sam. He said something about him leading a separatist movement from the Galra Empire."

"I'm guessing that's not a good thing." Keith remarked.

"No." Adam shook his head. "He said they called themselves the Fire of Purification."

"So I guess that's who we're dealing with here." Keith frowned.

"Sounds like it." Adam said. "From what Sam told me, it sounds like he has a pretty strong grudge against Voltron. That's probably why he's here."

Glancing towards Adam, Keith studied him. One week wasn't enough time for a broken leg to heal, but it was enough to put him out of danger of any potential infections. Miraculously, it had been a clean break, and wasn't so bad that he couldn't put _any_ weight on the leg at all- it was just better that he didn't. He'd constructed a makeshift crutch, giving him a bit more mobility, but it was clear he wasn't going anywhere until his leg healed.

At least, not on hoverbike. If they had a car...

But the only place he'd find one of those was in Plaht City. And while he was completely confident he could hotwire a car- he had in the past- getting caught by the Galra sounded like it would be way worse than any time he'd been caught by the police.

"How was your scouting mission?" Adam asked. "Any luck?"

Keith grimaced. Today had been his riskiest move yet- he'd gone out to the edge of the desert, in hopes of learning what was happening in Plaht City. Though he had kept his distance from the city itself, the binoculars that he had pilfered from his dad's old things and his own abnormal distance vision had told him enough.

"It's pretty much exactly as we feared." Keith said, collapsing in the desk chair that had pretty much become his place. The couch was basically Adam's domain. "From the look of it, they're already starting to round up the survivors."

He had felt the itch to _do_ something, but he knew he couldn't, not without putting himself at risk. There was nothing he could do for those people.

It was frustrating. He'd never really considered himself a hero, not like his dad, but this just served as a painful reminder that he'd never be half the man he was. He told himself that he was doing it to survive, that he was doing it to help _Adam_ survive, but he knew that was just justification. It didn't change the fact that he was doing nothing.

"Any luck finding out for what?" Adam asked.

Shaking his head, Keith looked towards Adam. "What makes you think they're rounding them up for a reason? If they're trying to conquer Earth, they're probably just taking everyone prisoner to destroy the possibility of any resistance."

There was still the Garrison, but not even the Galra seemed to be able to do anything about that shield. That was comforting, at least.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Adam told him.

Keith's frown just deepened. "What makes you so certain they have a plan?"

"I don't know." Adam admitted, shaking his head. "That's just the feeling I'm getting."

"Fair enough." Keith shrugged. "Anything happen while I was gone? Besides that transmission?"

It had already been playing when he'd returned- he'd only just caught the tail end of it. Ever since he had gotten it back in working order, they had kept the radio working twenty four seven, so that they could intercept any potential transmissions. Since they were so isolated out here, the radio was their best hope of knowing what was going on in the world at large.

So far, they'd only picked up transmissions from the Galra. That was concerning.

He was just glad that Adam hadn't asked him how it was getting power yet. Frankly, he had no idea. When he'd opened it up, all he'd found was a weird little purple crystal where the power source should be. He'd almost wanted to bring it up, but he sensed that it was already weird that his dad had a deep space radio- he didn't exactly want to bring attention to the weird crystal he found inside too.

Once he'd set it back in place, he'd been able to get the power back to the radio. Actually _fixing_ several years worth of disuse and partial exposure to the elements had been a lot more complicated.

"Just the transmission." Adam told him. "Oh, and I ate the last of the chocolate chip granola bars. Hope you don't mind."

Making a face, Keith bit back a comment that he _did_ mind. He'd been saving that.

They had more or less figured out a plan to ration their food- it wasn't perfect, but with it, they could probably last maybe three, four months out here, especially if he supplemented their diet with game. Long enough for Adam's leg to heal.

Once it did, they would figure out their next step. Approaching the Garrison directly would be risky- one of the transmissions they had intercepted seemed to imply that there were regular patrols in that area, so until they learned their patterns, there was too much risk of being caught. Maybe if they approached the Garrison on foot, but that was a several mile long trek through the desert- maybe he'd be fine, but the same couldn't be said of Adam.

Heaving a sigh, Keith leaned back in his chair. Running water had been cut off yesterday, which meant they had to ration that too. He had been using empty water bottles to add to their collection, filling them up with water from the sink, but now their only option for fresh water should they run out was that underground spring.

They could always collect rain water, but out here in the desert, that was a long shot, especially in this season.

Maybe he should try and find a faster route to the spring. He knew that it lead to an underground river- if he could just find a point where it connected above ground that was just a little bit closer, he could cut the risk almost in half.

If he hadn't spent nearly a full day monitoring the situation in Plaht City, he might just do it now- but the sun would be setting soon. Sure, maybe seeing in the dark wasn't an issue for him. But he didn't want _Adam_ to know that, and even if he took a lantern with him, it probably wouldn't be enough to convince him. It'd just have to wait for tomorrow.

Stretching out his legs, Keith stared at his feet. Trying to survive with someone else was a lot harder than trying to do it by himself. At least then he'd be able to use his weirdness to his full advantage.

"Something on your mind?" Adam asked.

Shaking his head, Keith gave him a weak smile. "Just thinking."

"Well," Adam began, giving him a faint smile, "-try not to think too much."

He blinked- before his smile became a little less awkward. If he had to be stuck here with anyone, he was glad it was Adam.

He didn't know what to expect at first, but honestly, it wasn't bad as he thought it would be. Sure, yeah, it was kind of difficult in its own way- not to mention kind of weird. He wasn't exactly a people person, and yet now here he was, cohabiting with a complete stranger. And sure... that's technically what he had been doing before, be it in foster homes or orphanages, but that was... that was different.

But Adam was... he was alright. That good impression he'd gotten of him the first time they'd met seemed like it was spot on. He... couldn't say the same for his own first impression- he could only imagine how he had come off. He'd be amazed if James' _hadn't_ told him all about their fight, or about the fact that he'd broken his jaw.

Yet he hadn't brought it up once if he had.

He was going to count that as a mercy. Maybe he couldn't help everyone in Plaht City- but he could at least keep Adam alive, and get him back to the Garrison. That had to count for something, right?

He wasn't cut out to be a hero. But he guessed at least he could _try_ to do some good.

"You're right," Keith told him, "-I probably shouldn't."

"Good." Adam said. "Now let's think about dinner preparation before it starts to get dark. I'm guessing it's stew again."

"It's the easiest to make with a camp stove." Keith shrugged. "And also kind of one of the few things I know how to make."

He'd never exactly been a picky eater. Periodically going without food would do that to a person. Adam, on the other hand, seemed to be more of a gourmet- though he guessed compared to him, a lot of people would probably qualify as gourmet, so maybe he wasn't the best standard to set people against.

Adam snorted. "Well, at least you're not half as bad a cook as-"

He stopped himself short there, closing his eyes and drawing in a long sigh. "Sorry. Nevermind. Stew's good. Anything I can do to help?"

Keith frowned. This wasn't the first time Adam had cut himself off like that. He assumed that whatever it was, it was painful to talk about. He had to have loved ones of his own out there somewhere- he was probably worried about them. Maybe he couldn't sympathize, but he could at least understand.

It wasn't that he didn't have people he cared about. He did. It was just... he got the feeling that whoever it was that Adam was thinking about, and the people he held as important to him... it wasn't the same, not by a long shot. Whoever Adam was missing, it ran deeper.

Which was exactly why he never chose to pry.

"I'm fine." Keith told him. "But thanks for the offer."

"Yeah, well, once this leg heals, I'm taking over cooking duty." Adam told him.

"Oh come on," Keith made a face, "-I'm not _that_ bad, am I?"

"It's certainly... survivalist." Adam remarked.

"You know what?" Keith said, lifting his brows. "I'm just going to take that as a compliment."

"As you should." Adam said- and for the life of him, he couldn't tell if that was sarcasm or not. It wasn't even his usual lack of social awareness- Adam's sarcasm was just like that.

...or it could just be his lack of social awareness. It wasn't like he was an expert.

Hauling himself to his feet, Keith yanked open the trap door. They kept all of their canned goods stored in the bunker- canned meat and vegetables that he had stockpiled over months since the broadcast. There was canned fruit too, but they hadn't really touched it just yet- but maybe they probably should. Getting scurvy didn't exactly sound fun.

With that in mind, he grabbed a can of peaches. That could be desert, he guessed.

Bringing them back up, he shut the trap door with his foot. Setting them down on the desk, he pulled out the only cutting board he owned. Tsuyoshi's wife had given it to him after she'd learned to her horror that he cut everything up directly on the counter.

He wondered how they were doing. If they had made it to their destination, or if they had gotten captured along the way. He hoped it was the former.

Too many people had lost their lives during the initial assault, and he got the feeling that it wasn't going to end there. He didn't know why, but he felt certain that the Galra weren't going to stop until they got what they wanted- be that Voltron, or something else.

And if they couldn't... well, they wouldn't exactly need Earth anymore.

* * *

"You up?"

Adam blinked, groggily reaching for his glasses. Maybe Takashi might have been, but he'd never been much of a morning person. "Keith?"

"Who else?" Keith half-quipped.

"Ugh, fair." Adam groaned, running a hand through his hair. Pushing himself up, he felt his spine pop- Keith had given him the choice of either the couch or the bed roll, and while neither of them were great options, he'd take the couch any day. He didn't see how Keith managed to get any sleep.

But if there was one thing he'd learned about Keith, it was that what was uncomfortable for him didn't bug Keith in the slightest. Maybe it was something about growing up in orphanages and foster homes- he didn't know. He just knew that Keith's style of living was unusually Spartan.

He should probably count himself lucky. Under the conditions, a survivalist was pretty much exactly what he needed. But he still couldn't help but wonder what had fueled his choice to pretty much live off the grid- from the sound of it, he'd already been out here for two years, as soon as he turned eighteen and became too old to stay in the system.

Somehow he didn't think it was just because he didn't have anywhere else to go.

Dragging himself up off the couch, he grabbed his crutch, hauling himself over to where Keith was brewing up what he was almost certain was the last of their coffee supply. The thought filled him with dread, but it wasn't like it was truly a necessity when it came down to it.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Adam asked.

"Was going to check out the underground spring." Keith told him, handing him a mug. "I thought maybe I could find a place where it connects aboveground that's a bit closer."

Taking a long sip of coffee, Adam let out a sigh. "Good call. How's our water supply?"

"It should hold for a few more weeks, as long as we don't waste it." Keith told him. "But it's better to be prepared. The desert can be unpredictable."

"So can aliens." Adam added, cautiously making his way back to the couch, careful not to spill what might very well be his last cup of coffee.

Keith snorted, a faint grin briefly gracing his features. "True."

The circumstances they were in might be lousy, but Adam still felt himself smile. At least he had company. Maybe Keith could handle surviving out in the desert by himself, but even if he wasn't injured, he'd probably go a little nuts after the first week. Maybe he wasn't the same kind of people person that Takashi was, but he still typically enjoyed having them around.

Keith was different. It wasn't that he _hated_ people, he quickly discovered- he just didn't necessarily need them. He'd asked him about it, only once, and he'd just shrugged. Said something about being kind of used to it.

"Guess I'll stay and monitor the radio." Adam said.

It wasn't like he could do much else.

Keith just nodded, not commenting on it. "I should be back by late afternoon."

He responded with a nod of his own. He knew the reason that Keith was telling him that- that if he didn't come back by then, it was safe to assume something had happened to him. The Galra hadn't sent any sentries this far out into the desert yet, but it wasn't impossible. Once they processed the cities, he imagined it wouldn't be long until they started to spread out.

"Be careful." Adam advised him.

Keith just hummed in response. He was already preparing to depart, filling a canteen with water, and hitching it to his belt. His usual knife was already in its sheath- he was pretty sure he slept with it there. He wasn't sure how much good a knife would do against the Galra, but it was still better than having no weapon at all.

Closing his eyes, Adam tried not to dwell on how powerless he had been against the Galra. The Garrison's fighters were some of the most advanced in the world, and they hadn't even been able to make a dent. All of his fellow pilots were dead, gone- and for what? They hadn't even so much as bought time.

He should be dead too. He kept coming back to that.

When he got back to the Garrison, one thing was for sure- he'd let Admiral Sanda have it for putting them all at risk. She had to have known the typical base defenses wouldn't have cut it, but she'd still sent them out anyways. And to do what? _Die_?

Clenching his fists, he drew in a long breath. Opening his eyes, he caught Keith looking at him- who just as quickly looked away when he caught him staring.

Instead, he stared down at his feet, trying to avoid eye contact. "Headed out."

Adam just gave him a weak smile. If there was one thing he'd come to understand about Keith over the course of the past week, it was how awkward he could be. "Take care."

Keith just nodded, adjusting the collar of his jacket. Without another word, he hastily left the shack. He couldn't hear the sound of his hoverbike, so he guessed he was going on foot. Staring down at his own broken leg, Adam rubbed it where the bandages stopped, letting out a prolonged sigh.

He'd been powerless to fight the Galra, and he was powerless to do anything to help Keith. It wasn't a great feeling.

* * *

The underground spring wasn't hard to find.

He'd had a dim recollection of it when he'd moved out here. Back when his dad had still been alive, he'd sometimes take him to it. Finding it again hadn't been easy, but he'd managed, and had since committed the path there to memory. Maybe to people who hadn't grown up in the desert, that sounded impossible- but once you really started to look, even the most barren of desert landscapes didn't look exactly the same.

He had never lost the trick of it.

He... might have gotten lost more times than he cared to admit while living in the city, but the desert? That was something he knew like the back of his hand.

He kept an eye on the sky all the while. He couldn't afford to be spotted by patrols. Thankfully, the sky had been empty of any fighters, making the trek relatively peaceful.

Making his way down into the dark cave, Keith followed the scent of water. Once he got down to the underground spring, he paused to refill his canteen. He'd barely drunk half of the water that he had brought with him, but he wasn't sure how long it would take him to find another exit.

Honestly? He wasn't even sure if there was one. But he had to check.

Taking off his boots, Keith tied them together with some string, looping it around his shoulder to keep them in place. Rolling up his pant legs, he stepped into the spring. The water was cold enough to make him shiver, but he ignored it- he'd get used to it once he got moving.

As he followed the underground river in, he couldn't feel more grateful than ever for his night vision. He hadn't brought a flashlight, so it was pretty much all he had to depend on.

Keeping one hand on the wall, he continued to follow the river for what felt like half an hour. It started to warm up a bit as he went further on, but he couldn't tell if that was because it was actually getting warmer, of it he had just gotten used to it. What he was sure of was the sound of the river changing, little by little.

Coming to a halt, Keith strained his ears. Sure enough, the sound ahead was different. It sounded a bit like a waterfall.

Testing the current, he frowned. It didn't seem to be any stronger than it was when he first started, so it was probably safe to proceed- with caution. Carefully advancing, he paused a few minutes in, noticing an area where it looked as if the cave roof had collapsed in on itself. Crouching down, he ran a hand over the stone- it was still rough and jagged, so it couldn't have been there for very long.

Glancing up towards the ceiling, Keith frowned. He could just barely make out a faint trickle of light above him- if his eyes weren't so sensitive to it, he probably wouldn't have even noticed. Was there an exit up there?

From this height, he could probably reach it if he jumped. It was worth noting, but it wouldn't be practical if he had to do it with a full jug of water. It also sounded like a good way to cut up his hands on jagged rock, so he quickly shelved the option.

Continuing to follow the river was his best choice. From the sound, the waterfall was close- probably just around the bend.

Sure enough, he came to a drop. Crouching down, he evaluated the distance. Good. He could jump from here.

The pool of water he landed in was fairly shallow, up to just past his ankles. Wading towards the bank, he climbed out, letting his feet dry off before he untied his boots, tugging them back on. The river had lead him to a vast cavern- and based on the light that shone through part of where it had collapsed in on itself, he was guessing he was pretty close to above ground.

Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he frowned. The way the cavern had collapsed... it didn't look natural. If he didn't know any better, it was like something had burst _through_ it- which made no sense. What could break through solid rock like that?

Mission temporarily forgotten, Keith made his way towards the rubble. Thankfully, the rest of the cavern didn't look as if it were anywhere near collapse.

Raising a hand over his eyes, he squinted into the bright sunlight. There was no way he'd be able to get out through there- that was sheer rock, and even if he could climb it, he had no idea what the drop was like on the other side. It wasn't worth the risk.

Turning back towards the rubble, Keith frowned, something catching his eye. There almost seemed to be some sort of pattern, etched into the stone itself- not the rubble, but the ground underneath it. Frowning, he made his way around where the cavern had collapsed, to where the pattern, whatever it was, still lay mostly undisturbed.

He'd never seen anything like it.

One look was enough to tell him that this was in no way naturally occurring. Whatever this was, it had to be man-made. But in _solid rock_?

What could have even done _that_?

Crouching down, his fingers brushed the pattern. Narrowing his eyes, he quickly rose to his feet, turning towards the rubble. Whatever this was, he needed to see the rest.

Moving the rock wasn't easy- but he managed. Someone weaker than him probably never would have been able to do it, but even then, it still probably took a good two hours to clear it all away. He had to refill his canteen twice, the exertion it took demanding he stay hydrated. It was a good thing that the river ended here- there wasn't exactly a shortage of fresh water.

Maybe whatever this thing was, it was the reason why the water here was so pure. He wondered if his dad had known about this place- he kept a lot of secrets.

Heaving a sigh, Keith stepped back to examine his work. It wasn't perfect- he was pretty sure he'd damaged some of the carving by moving the rock around, but at least now he had a better view of what was under it all. It only managed to confirm what he thought earlier- whatever this was, it was like nothing he'd ever seen before.

If it reminded him of anything, it was probably some kind of magic circle.

Snorting, Keith felt his lips twitch in a wry grin. Magic. Sure. Why not? I mean, they were already dealing with aliens here. Why couldn't magic be real too?

Striding over towards the circle, he crouched down by the edge. He reached out to brush his fingers against it, but this time- this time, something happened.

It was only for a split second, but for that split second, it almost felt like he was looking through someone else's eyes. Cavern walls gave way to a sea of almost white- like some kind of misty fog, but _darker_ , somehow. He felt himself shudder, snatching his hand back, shuddering a little as the vision faded.

What the hell was _that_?

Whatever it was, he didn't have long to dwell on it. Something was coming- and judging by the sound of their footsteps, whatever it was couldn't possibly be human.

Searching for a place to hide, he ducked behind an outcropping of rock towards the edge of the cavern. One hand resting on the hilt of his knife, he gauged his breathing, a cold bead of sweat trickling down the back of his neck.

Two- no, three people. Somehow he didn't get the feeling they were friendly.

He spotted the red glow before he actually spotted who- or _what_ \- it belonged to. Adam had told him that the Galra used robots called _sentries_ for a lot of their day to day tasks, so that had to be what they were. They were also a lot bigger than he thought they'd be.

Even worse, they weren't alone.

Tensing, he tried to keep the pounding of his heart steady. He couldn't afford to give himself away, not when he was alone with what _had_ to be a Galra.

They stood tall- taller than the sentries, almost. They were dressed in black and red, and were a deep shade of purple. But it was their eyes that drew the most attention- they were like a block of solid yellow, no sign of any pupil.

And they glowed faintly in the dark.

Thankfully, they didn't seem to notice him. The Galra lifted a hand, motioning for the pair of sentries to come to a halt. They advanced alone towards the circle, studying it with unmasked interest.

He bit down on his lip, for a moment worried they'd notice how recently the rubble had been moved. They didn't- in fact, whatever it was they were looking for, they didn't seem to find, not if their dissatisfied expression was any indication.

He tensed, watching as they drew something out of their armor, only to relax again when he saw it was just some kind of transmitter. He couldn't see who he was talking to, but he didn't need to- over the past week, he'd become deeply familiar with that voice.

 _Sendak_.

It made his blood boil, but he fought against the tide. He couldn't afford to expose himself.

"Report."

"We have located the origin point of the blue lion." The Galra replied. "Unfortunately, there seem to be no clues as to its whereabouts."

The blue lion? Keith's brows furrowed. It was common knowledge that it had been hidden here on Earth- but that was here?

"Keep the area guarded." Sendak instructed. "It may respond if the lions return."

Keith froze. _Guarded_. That didn't sound good.

"Understood." The Galra replied. Ending his transmission, he turned to the pair of sentries he had brought with him. "You are to remain here until you receive further instructions."

To his surprise, one of the sentries replied, acknowledging the command with a firm, if not robotic, _understood_. Huh. He didn't think they could talk.

Satisfied with that, the Galra took his leave. The two sentries, on the other hand, took up positions on either side of the circle. He waited for a few minutes to see if they would leave, but neither of them budged.

Right. This was bad. Chewing on his lip, Keith tried to see if there was another way out. Heading back the way he came was impossible- there was no way the sentries wouldn't spot him. The same was true if he tried to follow the path the Galra had used- he'd be caught in an instant.

His only choice was to try and take them out.

Drawing in a quiet breath, his grip on the hilt of his knife tightened. If it could cut through Garrison ships, then maybe it could cut through sentries too. Even if it couldn't, it was his only option- if he wanted to get out here alive, he had to try.

Closing his eyes, he drew in another long breath, before slowly letting it out. Drawing his knife, he held it tight, slowly rising to his feet. They still weren't aware of his presence, which gave him an advantage- and right now, he needed every advantage he could get.

When he moved, he did it quickly- but also quietly. Dropping into the guard of the first sentry, he slashed outwards with his knife, the blade cutting through solid metal. He didn't stop to celebrate, kicking the sentry away in the direction of the other, which had definitely noticed him now. Using the gap to his advantage, he threw his knife, the blade sinking deep into the sentry's chest.

Rushing forward, he grabbed the knife, slashing it upwards to free it. The sentry collapsed, unresponsive, and only then did he pause to catch his breath.

Just not for long.

Sheathing his knife, he hesitated for a split second- before he grabbed one of the blasters the sentries carried. Quickly tying it to his back using the string, he didn't waste a second longer in the cavern, scrambling up the walls the way he had come. Hauling himself back up, he ran, not stopping to catch his breath until he reached the underground spring, back where he had started.

That was too close.

 _Way_ too close.

His heart hammering in his chest, Keith drew in and let out a long breath. Uncapping his canteen, he took a long drink of water, pausing only to refill it, before he headed out of the cave the spring was located in. Pausing to let his eyes adjust to the bright sunlight, he looked towards the sky, letting out a breath of relief when he found it devoid of ships.

But it probably wouldn't stay that way.

So he ran, all the way back to the shack. Even for him, running at full sprint for a mile across the desert wilderness was pretty rough- so by the time he reached it, he was out of breath. Taking a long gulp of water, he tried to steady himself a bit before he stumbled back inside, wondering how he could possibly explain this to Adam.

Right. No choice but to do it.

Sucking in a long breath, Keith squared his shoulders. Reaching for the knob, he cracked the door open- very quickly catching Adam's eye.

"Keith?" Adam blinked. "Something wrong?"

God, he felt like a kid who had gotten caught breaking curfew. Or at least, the kind whose foster parents wouldn't strike him for failing to show. "I, uh... I ran into some issues."

"Issues?" Adam asked, arching a brow. "What kind of issues?"

"Uh... Galra issues?" Keith ventured.

"Gal- you ran into the _Galra_?" Adam demanded, on his feet so quickly that he swore he'd briefly forgotten about his own broken leg. "Keith!"

"I'm fine!" Keith said quickly. "I took care of them."

Adam froze, staring at him. "Took care of... you _fought_ them?"

Nodding, Keith slowly opened the door up all the way, finally entering the shack. He didn't know why he was being so reluctant- it was _his_ shack. "It's fine. It was just a pair of sentries."

Adam took one look at him, and looked like he was coming down with a headache. Closing his eyes, he shoved his glasses up, pressing his fingers against his eyes. He drew in a long breath, before he drew his hand away. Grabbing his crutch, he hobbled over towards him. He flinched a little when he grabbed his shoulder, but quickly relaxed- he was just checking to make sure he wasn't hurt.

He wasn't, which was... was that weird? Inwardly groaning, he realized it probably was.

"Look," Keith began, "-it's a long story."

Adam merely raised a brow. "I've got time."

"...yeah, that's what I thought you'd say." Keith sighed.

Adam just chuckled, glancing behind him with a pointed look. "Is that...?"

"Oh, uh," glancing behind him, Keith frowned- he'd kind of forgotten about the blaster, to be honest, "-I took it. From one of the sentries. Thought it might come in handy."

Hastily untying it, he awkwardly placed it on the table. Adam didn't stop him, instead just watching as he shrugged off his jacket, draping it over the chair, before collapsing in it. Unhooking his canteen from his belt, he took another swig of water, before letting out a long sigh, finally feeling like death itself wasn't on his heels.

"Are you-?"

"No," Keith shook his head, "-I'm fine."

Adam gave him a skeptical look, which was fair.

"I promise." Keith insisted. Tugging off his boots, he tossed them to the side. They were caked on the bottom with wet sand, and sweat had soaked into his shirt- figures that this would all happen after they had been cut off from running water, so he couldn't even so much as take a shower.

"So," Keith began, turning his head to look towards Adam, "-anything happen while I was gone?"

Adam just frowned. "I might have found a way to contact the Garrison."

Arching a brow, Keith sat up straight. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Adam echoed, hobbling back towards the couch, slowly sinking back down into it. "But I'm not telling you a thing until you tell me what happened. I thought you went to check out the underground spring. How did you end up fighting _sentries_?"

Keith grimaced. Right. Should have known he wasn't getting out of this so easily.


	4. down into the dark

Hello everyone, here's the next chapter! And also, happy new year! Hopefully it will be a good one for all of you. That said, thanks for sticking with my fics, especially those of you who have taken the extra time to comment or review during this past year! You're the best!

Until next time!

* * *

 **flicker**

 **chapter four**

 **down into the dark**

* * *

"Wait, so let me get this straight," Adam began, "-you fought off a pair of Galra sentries with just a _knife_?"

Keith just shrugged. "Pretty much."

Adam stared at him. He didn't know what else to do. He didn't see any reason why Keith would lie to him, and he'd come back with proof. The Galran blaster was pretty hard to deny.

He knew Keith carried a knife with him, but he didn't think much of it. He lived in the middle of the desert, where there could be dangerous wildlife, so a knife gave him something to defend himself with. It wasn't that unexpected.

What was unexpected was that said knife was capable of taking out _sentries_. He'd never dealt with them himself before, only heard about them from Sam, but they had to have been built tough. He was willing to believe that the Garrison might have some heavy equipment capable of taking them out, but a _knife_?

A knife being wielded by a nineteen year old kid, no less.

Heaving a long sigh, Adam ran a hand through his hair. You know what? Fine. As long as it had enabled Keith to protect himself, he wouldn't question it. Circumstance might have thrown them together, but at the end of the day, it didn't change the fact that they were complete strangers. He couldn't just expect Keith to volunteer information about himself at the drop of a hat.

Besides, he'd already come to understand that Keith was a little weird. It was pretty hard to miss the glowing eyes. The week they had spent together had proved that they were anything but his imagination.

Dropping his hand, Adam gave Keith a worried look. "So you're sure you're not hurt?"

Keith shook his head. "I'm fine."

Okay. He doubted Keith would let him check, and he hoped he wasn't so stupid that he'd try to hide any potential major injuries. He'd just have to believe that.

"Okay, good to know." Adam said. "Now what's this about the blue lion?"

He swore Keith looked grateful for the change of topic. "It was hidden on Earth, right?"

Adam nodded. "That's what I heard from Sam."

"I think I found where." Keith told him.

"But so did the Galra." Adam observed, leaning back into the couch, mulling it over. "You don't think they could use this... _magic circle_ to track it, do you?"

It probably wasn't actually a magic circle. Sam acted like the Alteans had magic- or _alchemy_ , as he'd called it, but he found that hard to believe. Aliens, sure, but _magic_? He wasn't willing to suspend his disbelief that far.

Keith shook his head. "I don't think so. I think they wanted to, but..."

"But they couldn't." Adam finished, heaving a sigh. "That's good. But I'm also guessing that the underground spring is probably off limits now."

Keith nodded, chewing on his lip. "Yeah. Sorry."

"Don't apologize." Adam told him. "You couldn't have predicted this. Unless you want to tell me that you're actually psychic."

Keith cracked a faint smile. "If I were, don't you think I would have known they were coming ahead of time? That was _the_ scariest moment of my life, no contest."

Adam just snorted. "Good point. I'm just glad you managed to get out of there."

Keith's smile faded, his gaze dropping to the floor. For a moment, he wondered if he'd maybe said the wrong thing. Being able to take out two Galra sentries was impressive, no doubt about it, but it had to have also been _terrifying_. He couldn't let himself forget that Keith was just barely an adult.

Nineteen. Still a kid in his eyes, basically.

"I might be able to find another water source," Keith finally began, "-but I don't know how long that'll take, or if it'll even be half as pure as that spring. I think the blue lion was probably what was keeping the water so clear."

"Could be." Adam said. "I don't exactly know that much about the lions, but that sounds plausible enough considering we're talking about supposedly magical space robots."

He didn't know if it actually _did_ , but again- it wouldn't be the weirdest thing he'd dealt with this week. Not even close.

Keith glanced up at him, and he swore that he'd snorted underneath his breath. "So... you said you had found a way to contact the Garrison?"

Oh. Right. Keith's story had almost caused him to forget.

" _Maybe_ ," Adam stressed, fumbling for the book he had found earlier, "-maybe I've found a way. Just don't get your hopes up."

Keith just nodded, silently watching as Adam produced the book he had been looking for. It wasn't the book he was interested in, so much as it was the paper inside of it. Pulling it out, he paused for a moment, staring at the blaster still on the table. Seeming to realize that it was in the way, Keith hurriedly moved it aside, leaning it against the wall instead.

He wasn't sure that was proper weapons handling, but they could figure out what to do with the thing later. Keith was right, it was probably better to have it than to not.

"I was going through some of your dad's old books when I found this." Adam began, carefully unfolding the paper and spreading it over the table. "It's a map of the area."

Keith frowned, crouching in front of the map, staring at it with interest. With a pang, it reminded him of the time he had spent after class at the Garrison, giving those students that needed it a bit of extra help- and that those days were now long over. Even if they _could_ chase out the Galra, the process of rebuilding would take years, if not _decades_.

He brushed the thought aside, instead tapping a location on the map, marked helpfully in red. "This is us."

Moving his finger, he tapped another location, a short distance away, also marked, this time in orange pen. Clearly, Keith's father had believed in color coding. "And this is one of the Garrison's old supply depots."

Keith looked up. "Do they still use it?"

"It's mostly used for overflow." Adam told him. He left out the part where the Garrison actually had a lot of that. "What's important is the fact that underneath the depot are tracks leftover from the third world war. Tracks that lead straight to the Garrison."

Keith's brow furrowed, staring back at the map. "That's a pretty big distance between us and the depot, though. It might just be faster to go straight to the Garrison."

Adam just grinned. "Thankfully, your old man was pretty thorough. There's an entrance to the underground tunnel system just a quarter mile out from where we are. If you use that, you should be able to approach the Garrison undetected by the Galra."

He didn't know why Keith's father had this map, or why he had so much of the tunnel system mapped out on it, but right now, he didn't care. He was just grateful.

It wasn't like it was _impossible_ for the general public to get this information. They weren't exactly encouraged to go into the tunnels, seeing how easy it was to get lost, but it was there, and it was accessible. Having such a specific map of them _was_ a bit weird, though.

"So... we could use these tunnels to get to the Garrison." Keith said.

"Exactly." Adam told him. "The only downside is that we'd have to walk there. I know the access points to the tunnels pretty well, and I'm pretty sure this one is basically just a narrow staircase."

"In other words, we can't get the hoverbike through." Keith frowned.

"Not unless it can shrink." Adam joked.

Keith just stared up at him blankly. "I don't... think so?"

Meeting his eyes, Adam cleared his throat. Right. Keith could be a bit literal at times. Still, nothing stung more than your joke falling so flat that the person you were telling it to didn't even recognize it _as_ a joke. Now he knew how Takashi felt.

"So... I guess we wait for your leg to heal." Keith said.

"We might not have to." Adam told him. "How good are you at reading maps?"

Keith frowned, considering it. "Not terrible?"

"Good." Adam told him. "Because I think I should be able to draw you a map of the tunnels using this. All you would have to do is follow it."

Keith studied the map again. "Yeah, I think can manage that."

"Then it's settled." Adam said. "Once you get to the Garrison, there should be an access point you can use to get into the base. I can give you my code, so you'll be able to get in."

At least, he hoped. With all the chaos of the past week, he was pretty much counting on them having not purged his access code from the system yet. He was pretty confident that the Garrison thought he was dead- not that he could blame them.

Internally, he snorted. Guess he had something else in common with Takashi now.

Keith just arched his brows. "Won't they think that's kind of suspicious? I'm obviously not you."

"I can write a note for Sam, if you like." Adam told him. "Uh, Commander Holt, that is."

"The one from the Kerberos mission?" Keith asked. "You've mentioned him a few times."

"We get along pretty well." Adam nodded, leaving out the part where he had been furious with Sam for weeks after he had stood up in defense of Shiro piloting the Kerberos mission. After he'd been declared dead, he didn't have the heart to keep it up- and once he came back... well, he still didn't. It was obvious he'd been through a lot.

Tilting his head, Adam glanced down at Keith. "Do you know him? I noticed you have his daughter's missing persons poster up on the corkboard."

Shaking his head, Keith kept his gaze fixed on the map. "No. But his wife used to tutor kids at the orphanage I used to live in. She stopped coming after her daughter ran away."

Lifting his head, he glanced over at the corkboard, at the slightly faded poster still pinned there. "I put that up there in case I saw her. I just never remembered to take it down, I guess."

Huh. So not only did he work for Hunk's father, he had also formerly been tutored by Katie's mother. Tack on his near miss with Takashi, and it was almost like this kid had been skirting on the edge of the paladins' lives for awhile now. Glancing down at the map himself, he studied it with a slight frown.

"So... any idea why your dad might have had this map?" Adam ventured.

Keith glanced up, shaking his head. "No idea. It's the first time I've seen it."

Adam frowned. He guessed it shouldn't surprise him- the man had built a bunker underneath his shack, and he was willing to bet a lot of the survival techniques Keith knew had been taught to him by his father. Maybe it was just a hobby.

"You know, there _is_ one place that's marked on this map that I can't identify," Adam said, tapping the blue circle on the map, "-this place here. Any idea what it is?"

Keith studied the map, his brow furrowing as he tried to place the location. "Not sure. It's pretty close to the underground spring, though."

Indicating where he meant with his finger, Keith's frown deepened. "Weird. I thought it would have been marked."

"Maybe he just forgot about it?" Adam suggested.

"Yeah, maybe." Keith agreed, though he couldn't help but notice that he didn't look convinced. "So... should I try this underground passage today?"

Adam shook his head. "Tomorrow. Somehow I don't think the Galra are going to take the destruction of two of their sentries lying down. It's best you lay low for today."

Keith nodded. "That's... probably a good idea, yeah. You haven't heard anything?"

"No transmissions yet." Adam told him. "But I think they might have other channels they're broadcasting on, ones that we aren't picking up. We may only be picking up on transmissions from a single cruiser."

Tilting his head, Keith considered it. "I could try to see if I could get others?"

"Too risky. We don't want to lose our only channel." Adam told him. "Besides, once we get into contact with the Garrison, it won't matter."

Keith gave him a curt nod. "Right. Makes sense."

"It sure does." Adam agreed, giving him a small smile. "Besides, you need to rest. You've had one hell of a day, from the sound of it."

Keith snorted. "That's one way of putting it, yeah."

Keith dismissed himself, heading down into the bunker to clean up a bit. Turning back to the map, Adam traced the distance between the underground spring and the unknown location marked in blue. Eyes darting towards the supply depot, he noted that both it and the Garrison base itself were marked in orange- Garrison colors. Looking back towards the blue mark, he tapped it, his brows furrowing in thought.

Keith's father couldn't have possibly found the blue lion, could he? He obviously knew about the underground spring, and that was apparently connected to the cavern where the blue lion had been hidden. And this map... it almost looked like it was part of some kind of emergency contingency plan, just one that he never got to use.

Exactly what kind of person was Keith's father? Keith had said he was a firefighter, but other than that, he knew practically nothing about the man.

Or about _Keith_ , for that matter.

Biting on his lip, he thought about the weird eye shine again. Maybe...

Adam just snorted, hanging his head. Just because aliens were real didn't mean he needed to see their shadows in everything. He didn't want to start acting like some kind of conspiracy theorist. That sort of thing was better left to Commander Holt's son.

Besides, it wasn't like it even mattered. Keith was a good kid. He'd saved his _life_. He was pretty sure he could overlook a few oddities.

* * *

That night, he dreamed of distant galaxies- planets and stars that he had never seen before, but somehow felt like he knew.

He dreamed too, of lions.

* * *

"Report."

"Sir." Hand over his heart, the technician saluted him. "I finished examining the damaged sentries we recovered."

Sendak's eyes narrowed. Though advanced in some respects, these Earthlings seemed to be largely primitive. It was hard to believe that the paladins who had given the Galra Empire so much trouble had come from such a backwater planet. With the exception of the one base, their planet had offered little in the form of resistance, so he had been surprised to hear that the two sentries that sub-lieutenant Hahn had left behind to guard the cavern where the blue lion had once been located had been destroyed.

And so quickly after he had ordered the sub-lieutenant to post them there. He would have to have a word with him later, about how he could have possibly missed the fact that they were not alone in that cavern. Perhaps a reminder that careless mistakes were not tolerated would serve him well.

The damaged sentries had since been retrieved and replaced. No further incidents had been reported, so whoever it was in the cavern must have already left. They had likely destroyed the sentries in order to cover their escape.

"And?" Sendak asked. "What did you find?"

The technician frowned, and if he didn't know any better, he would say that he was almost puzzled. "I was able to determine what it was that damaged them, however..."

"However?" Sendak repeated.

"However... sir, whatever damaged these sentries seems to have left behind traces of luxite." The technician informed him.

Sendak frowned. "You are certain?"

"I ran the tests several times." The technician said. "I'm quite certain."

 _Luxite_. The metal was exceedingly rare, to the point where it was almost impossible to obtain. Even for the Galra Empire, doing so was no easy task.

But he did know of one group that possessed no small amount of it.

"Contact the high priestess," Sendak instructed, narrowing his eyes, "-inform her that there is a member of the Blade of Marmora here."

* * *

"You're sure you have everything?"

Keith fought the urge to roll his eyes. This was the second time Adam had asked him that question, and he was already tired of it. "Like I told you before, _yes_."

Adam just gave him a weak smile. "Just making sure."

Keith just heaved a sigh. He hadn't exactly slept well last night- he'd been kept up by weird dreams. He couldn't describe them, exactly. It was almost like he was seeing through someone else's eyes, but whoever that someone else was, he didn't think they were human. He didn't know why he was so sure of that, he just was.

He got the feeling that it had to do _something_ with that weird vision he'd received when he'd touched that weird circle in the blue lion's cavern. He still didn't know what that was about, and frankly, he was trying not to think about it. He didn't have the luxury to let himself get distracted. Surviving the occupation was his first and foremost concern.

And right now, that meant getting into contact with the Garrison.

Which he'd never get to do, if Adam didn't let him _leave_. He got the feeling that if his leg wasn't in the state it was in, he would be the one going instead. He liked Adam, but sometimes this part of him grated at his nerves. He was nineteen. He wasn't a child anymore, and he didn't appreciate being treated like one.

He had been surviving out here in the desert for two years now. He wasn't about to screw up just because there were aliens running around now.

"Look, I promise, I'll be fine." Keith reassured him.

"I'd just feel better if you brought the blaster." Adam told him.

Keith huffed, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Then what will you defend yourself with?"

Adam opened his mouth to respond to that, only to snap it shut. "You couldn't have grabbed two?"

"Like I said," Keith began, "-I have my knife. It worked fine the last time, so if I come across any more sentries, it'll probably work just as fine. I know how to protect myself."

His monster strength had to come in handy at some point, he thought. It might as well be when he was fighting evil alien robots. Or the evil aliens themselves- but somehow, he was pretty sure that fighting a Galran sentry and fighting an actual _Galra_ were two completely different levels of difficulty.

"Okay, okay." Adam said. "I'm just making sure. They might be looking for you."

"It's a big desert." Keith pointed out. "They're not going to find me that easily. I'll be _fine_."

Adam just heaved a sigh, defeated. He wanted to point out that _he_ was the one who had come up with this idea, but fought the urge. Besides, he didn't even think the Galra knew what he looked like. Not unless those sentries had been recording, in which case... yeah, he was probably a little screwed.

But since he didn't even know if that was a feature they had, there was no point in worrying about it.

"I wrote this for Commander Holt," Adam told him, handing over a folded piece of paper, "-but if you see Commander Iverson or Admiral Sanda, they'll work too."

Giving him a curt nod of his head, Keith took the paper, tucking it into his jacket. In spite of Adam's reassurances, he knew full well that he was a suspicious individual, so he wasn't exactly counting on them trusting him out of hand.

He'd written the access code Adam had given him on his hand, just in case he forgot it. He didn't exactly want to walk all the way there just to get stuck because he'd remembered it wrong. Or worse, have the guards called on him.

"Anything else?" Keith asked, hoping that there wasn't.

"Did you remember to bring a flashlight?" Adam asked.

Keith fought the urge to wince. Right. He hadn't packed one. Mostly because he didn't _need_ it, but...

"I'll get one now." Keith relented, ignoring Adam's pointed look of _see, I knew you forgot something_. He was just going to pretend he didn't see it. He wasn't going to give him that victory, especially when it wasn't even a victory.

Clipping the flashlight onto his belt, he locked eyes with Adam, challenging him to try and stall him again. "Anything else?"

"No, that should be it." Adam told him. "Good luck out there, Keith. Hopefully all the tunnels are still intact."

Keith nodded. "Hopefully I should be back by sundown."

"I'll save you some dinner." Adam told him.

"You'd better." Keith said. "It's my food."

Adam snorted. "Right. Of course it is."

Saying a quick goodbye, Keith departed. Adam had uploaded a copy of the map onto his phone- it was a good thing he'd had it turned off all this time, so it still had plenty of charge left. Just in case, the actual physical copy was tucked away in one of his belt pouches, but the one on his phone was a little easier to use, so he'd stick with that for the time being.

It wasn't that hard to find the access point that Adam had indicated. It was just a small, dusty brown building, sticking out of the ground- barely bigger than a phone booth, and easily missed by anyone just flying over the place. He wondered if it had been built before or after the third world war, but either way, he guessed it didn't really matter.

It was locked, but the hinges on the door were so old, all he had to do was kick it in. It lead directly into the aforementioned stairs, so deep that even with his freakish night and distance vision combined, he could only see so far.

Hm. Looked fun.

Slowly descending the stairs, Keith kept an ear out. This was probably the last place he wanted to be ambushed- the staircase was so narrow, he'd have almost no room to defend himself. Hopefully, the Galra didn't know about these tunnels yet.

By the time he got to the bottom, almost half an hour had passed. He had to be pretty deep underground. Pausing to orient himself, he checked the map Adam had drawn for him. He'd asked him why he knew so much about these tunnels, and he'd just shrugged, told him that he'd done a school project on them once.

"So... I go right." Keith muttered to himself.

Pocketing his phone, he proceeded in that direction. The tunnels didn't look like they had been maintained much since the end of the war- the tracks that were laid out looked as if they were starting to rust. He kept to the platform. He doubted there was any risk of being run over, but he'd have quicker access to any potential exit points from up here.

Ugh. Adam was right. He _was_ a survivalist.

Fine. Maybe he was. But if it let him get through an alien invasion, then as far as he was concerned, being a survivalist was a good thing. He... probably had a point in so far as cooking went- maybe if they got through this, he'd pick himself up an actual cookbook or something. If there were even any cookbooks _left_ after a full scale alien invasion.

The further into the tunnels he got, the more grateful he was for the map Adam had drawn. He definitely would have gotten hopelessly lost without it. He still took the time to mark his way at every turn, just in case. It never hurt to be prepared.

That had almost been his dad's motto. He smiled a bit recalling it. He had been thinking about his dad a lot, lately. It was kind of impossible not to, when just about everything in the shack reminded him of his father.

He wished he could talk to him. He wanted to ask him if he'd done the right thing, making the choices that he had. He probably wouldn't have been wild about him getting expelled, but he felt like his dad would have understood his reasons for later dropping out. He really couldn't imagine his dad would fault him for living out in the desert, seeing as he had chosen to do the same thing- although granted, back then, they'd had an actual _house_.

He'd tried looking up what happened to it. Something about a lightning strike, but he couldn't get any other information beyond that.

He also wanted to ask him about the blue lion.

Frowning, Keith stared down at his feet. Had his dad known about it? He kept thinking back to that spot he'd marked on the map in blue, the one Adam had asked about. What if that was the blue lion's cavern?

But why would his dad have known about the blue lion? Had he maybe found it while exploring? It was possible. What was stranger was the fact that he hadn't told anyone- maybe he'd only seen the lions in the footage that the Holts had broadcast across the globe, but everything about them looked alien in origin.

Why wouldn't he tell the Garrison?

Stopping to check the map again, Keith turned left, as instructed. He paused as he put away his phone, glancing down at where the hilt of his knife stuck out behind his back. Narrowing his eyes, he tucked away his phone, drawing his knife.

It used to belong to his dad.

The way it had reacted when the Galra ships arrived... what _was_ that? It was almost like it had been _warning_ him.

Heaving a sigh, Keith closed his eyes. Thinking about it wouldn't do him any good. He had a task to focus on. That was all he needed to be thinking about. Sheathing his knife, he squared his shoulders, resolving to put the issue behind him.

It didn't matter if his dad had found the blue lion. That was in the past. It didn't even matter if maybe, just _maybe_ , his dad had some kind of connection to aliens- that was in the past too. It didn't matter now.

Except... did it? Coming to a halt, Keith bit his lip. He had always tried not to question himself, why he could do the things he could, why he was always so different, but...

Shaking his head, he drew in a deep breath. He didn't want to go there. He'd thrown out being an alien as a _joke_ , he didn't want to have to seriously _mean_ it.

So much for not thinking about it.

Keith shoved such thoughts aside, for real this time. Just concentrate on the mission. Getting Adam back to the Garrison was priority.

He was about to make another turn when he heard the sound of footsteps. Pressing himself against the wall, he watched as a pair of sentries crossed on the other side of the platform, heading in the direction he was supposed to be heading in. He waited, frozen, until he could no longer hear them, and only then did he dare to exhale.

That was too close. Guess the Galra knew about these tunnels after all.

At least those sentries just looked like regular patrol drones. Taking in a deep breath, he peeked around the corner, no longer able to see them. Chewing on his lip, he weighed his options- should he give up, head back to the shack, maybe try again later?

No. He'd been down here for awhile now, and those were the only sentries he'd seen. For all he knew, they might be the initial scouts. If that was the case, then that was just more reason to finish his mission, and get to the Garrison now, while he still had the chance. Relying on maybes was _not_ a sound survival strategy.

He would just have to be cautious. Wait a few minutes before heading on.

Advancing slowly, Keith checked the map. According to this, he shouldn't be that far from the supply depot. Once he reached it, he would almost be all the way to the Garrison. Then all he had to do was use the access code Adam had given him, give someone in charge his letter, and wait.

Right. He could do this.

He stopped to check for the sentries at every turn. He hadn't seen any sign of them yet, but he couldn't let his guard down. He kept one hand on the hilt of his knife, just in case, but he'd rather avoid fighting them if he could.

He knew what he'd said to Adam, but just because things had gone well the first time didn't mean they would go well the second time. He had to be prepared for that possibility.

Coming to a halt, Keith frowned, his ears picking up on a strange sound. He couldn't quite place it at first, but the longer he listened, the more the sound began to take shape.

Was that... was that laser fire?

Gritting his teeth, Keith let instinct take him over. He knew what he said, but if the sentries were shooting at someone, he couldn't just idly stand by and do nothing. Racing ahead, he relied on the sound to guide him. As it became more distinct, he realized that it wasn't just one sound- it was subtle, but there were at least two different types of laser fire.

A fight?

Keith halted, drawing his knife. Who could be fighting the sentries?

Wait. These tracks lead to the Garrison's supply depot. But what were the odds that Garrison forces were making a supply run at the exact same time he was trying to get to their base?

Probably just as good as one of their fighters crashing in front of his shack, so... pretty good, in other words. Fate seemed to have a knack for putting him in the wrong place at the right time. Or was it the right place at the wrong time?

Well, whatever. Didn't matter.

Slowing his pace, Keith drew closer to the sounds of the firefight. There was a brief break, before it quickly started up again. Reinforcements?

Just as he was about to round the next corner, he was thrown off his feet, blasted backwards by some kind of an explosion. Coughing a bit at the dust in the air, he quickly grabbed his knife, trying to get his bearings. Turning the corner, he came to what should have been a series of four tunnels, only to find that one of them had been sealed off.

It was hard to see with all the dust still in the air. Once it settled some, he managed to make out a lone figure. For a brief second, he tensed, fearing that it was another sentry, before he quickly realized that they were human. They must have been the person exchanging laser fire with the Galra, but from the look of it, the cannon they had been using had been damaged by the blast.

And then the dust cleared more, and he saw the sentries. _He_ saw them, but the person from the Garrison didn't, too busy coughing.

There wasn't enough time. There was no way he would get to them before the sentries did.

He didn't think. He just _moved_. He threw his knife, not even waiting to see if it struck its intended target before he was already chasing after it. It did, sinking into the sentry's chest, distracting the other one long enough for him to actually get to the person. He didn't stop to take stock, just kept moving, grabbing his knife from the downed sentry and ducking, switching hands as he cut through the remaining sentry's legs.

Once it fell, he jammed the knife into its head, only then actually letting himself breathe. Blinking back dust, he turned to see who it was that he had just saved, only to freeze. It felt almost like deja vu, because he _knew_ this person.

"Veronica?"


	5. let the past haunt you

Here's chapter five! We finally get to Veronica, and we touch a bit on the resistance as well, though we should be going more in depth with them next chapter. We don't really know much about them, so I just picked one of the background characters from season seven when Veronica returned to the base with them, gave him a name, and used him. It's free character design!

Anyways, thanks for reading! Until next chapter!

* * *

 **flicker**

 **chapter five**

 **let the past haunt you**

* * *

The force of the blast knocked her off of her feet.

Coughing, Veronica stumbled to her feet. She must have struck a fuel container. At least the debris hadn't crushed her.

Trying to blink dust out of her eyes, she shielded her mouth and nose with her arm, trying not to breathe in any more. She was coughing badly enough as it was, and there was no guarantee that the blast had been enough to destroy the sentries. At least it would keep them from pursuing the MFE pilots- even with all the dust in the air, cutting visibility to practically zero, she could tell that much.

But it also meant she was cut off from her way back to the Garrison. Her glasses were smudged with dust, so she quickly wiped them down, fixing them back in place. Coughing, she tried to determine her next option, only to catch a glint of something metallic out of the corner of her eyes. Instantly, she froze, the dust settling just enough so that she could make out the red glow of a sentry.

Shit-!

She didn't even have time to react. In the blink of an eye, the sentry staggered back- with the low visibility from the dust, she wasn't able to tell why, before something surged past her, a flash of red in the dust filled air. She instantly tensed, reaching for the pistol that she had brought with her as backup- her cannon had been destroyed by the rubble, but it turned out she didn't need it.

Whoever this was, they were on _her_ side.

They tore into the sentries, an almost savage glint in their eyes that might have just been from the low visibility in the tunnels. By the time they had taken care of both sentries, the dust had settled enough for her to get a glimpse of them- crouched low over a fallen sentry, yanking something out of its head. She thought she caught a glint of yellow, before they exhaled, as if they had been holding their breath.

It was at that point that something clicked. The way black hair curled over a high collar, pale skin untouched by the desert sun- she knew this person.

"Veronica?"

Purple eyes stared at her, wide with surprise. All she could think was that the feeling was mutual.

They had crossed paths maybe twice, at her favorite coffee place in Plaht City, but it was pretty hard to forget the kid that she had accidentally told just how much she wanted the admiral to shove it. That had been on a particularly bad day- right around when she started to suspect that the Admiral and the rest of upper command were hiding something about her brother's previously unexplained disappearance.

Surprise, surprise, she was right.

(She guessed hearing someone tell them how much they wanted the highest ranked officer at the Texas Garrison base to shove it was just as memorable, seeing as he recognized her.)

"...Keith?"

"Why are you-"

Keith didn't get a chance to finish that question, instantly tensing up. His gaze was fixed on something behind her, surprising in its intensity. She responded by drawing her pistol, pivoting on her heel and training it in the direction that he was staring off towards.

There were always more sentries.

But it wasn't a sentry. It was a human- dark skinned and broad shouldered, with gray hair and a relatively well trimmed beard. Spotting the pistol trained on him, the man raised his arms, indicating that he wasn't a threat. Instantly, Veronica lowered her weapon, feeling herself exhale.

"I thought I heard fighting." The man stated, gaze dropping down to the destroyed sentries. "Guess I was right."

In her peripheral, Keith frowned. She might have lowered her weapon, but he kept a firm grip on his- which was a _knife_ , of all things. "Who are you?"

A knife? He'd taken down two Galra sentries with just a _knife_? The MFE's weapons hadn't even been able to put a _dent_ into the sentries, and all he had needed was a single knife? She had definitely had questions about that, but now wasn't the time or the place.

"The name's Jackson." The man- _Jackson_ \- replied. "I'm with the resistance."

"There's a resistance?" Veronica asked.

Jackson nodded. "There is, but we have to move. More sentries will be on their way any second now."

Keith's frown deepened, but he sheathed his knife. "I'll come with you part way, but I have to get back."

Jackson studied him for a long second. "Got someone waiting for you?"

It wasn't hard to recognize that he wasn't Garrison- if this _Jackson_ knew the layout of the tunnels well enough to navigate them, then he had to know that there was a Garrison supply depot just beyond the debris. Maybe he had been trying to get to it too. Maybe that's what had brought Keith out this far- granted, she had no idea where he actually lived. All she knew about him was that he had worked in a mechanics shop back in Plaht City.

"You could say that." Keith said, before lifting his head, turning his gaze in another direction. "But you're right. We should definitely go."

Jackson frowned, but just motioned for them to follow him. Since she didn't have much of a choice at the moment, Veronica complied. So did Keith, once he could pull his gaze away from whatever it was that he heard that they didn't. The kid had a sharp pair of ears on him.

They moved in silence as they navigated the tunnel system. No one dared to speak, too on edge to. That was beyond a close call- if Keith hadn't been there, she wasn't confident that she would have been able to make it out. The pistol that she had left probably wouldn't have had any effect on the sentries, given that it was the same model as Ina's.

But maybe not. She couldn't know for sure.

"Alright," Jackson began, coming to a halt, "-we should be far enough away to avoid attracting any Galra attention."

Veronica nodded. "I suppose we should start with introducing ourselves. I'm Veronica McClain."

"McClain?" Jackson blinked. "You mean like the paladin?"

In spite of herself, Veronica couldn't help but beam. And here Lance had been worried about making his mark on history. "He's my little brother."

"Huh," Jackson noted, "-small world. And you?"

Keith tensed, crossing his arms in front of him. "Keith."

Jackson frowned, but shrugged off the curt nature of his reply, turning back to her. "I'm guessing you're with the Garrison."

"Yes." Veronica told him. "I'm an analyst. We were out gathering supplies from the depot when the patrols stumbled on us. Thankfully, the rest of my team managed to get away."

Jackson nodded. "I guess it's true that the Garrison is still standing."

"We haven't lost yet." Veronica said. "You said you're with the resistance?"

"I am." Jackson said. "We're a small network, but we're mobile. Mostly we've been working on trying to gather intelligence, figure out what it is that the invaders are doing."

"Why were you in the tunnels?" Keith questioned.

Jackson frowned a bit at the suspicion in his voice, but otherwise dismissed it. "Same thing she was. My grandfather helped lay these tracks, I know them like the back of my hand. Thought maybe if I could get to the supply depot, we'd be able to hold out for longer. I was supposed to scout a path."

Veronica arched a brow at that. It sounded a lot like was planning to loot them, but with the world in the state it was in, she guessed she couldn't blame him. People had to do what they could to survive.

"And you?" Jackson questioned. "What brings a kid like you down here? I'm guessing you're _not_ with the Garrison."

Keith narrowed his eyes at that. "I'm not a kid."

"You said that you had someone waiting for you." Veronica cut in, trying to prevent a possible fight. Weird. She hadn't recalled Keith being this testy, but she guessed the circumstances now were a lot different from a casual meeting at a coffee shop. "Were they injured?"

Keith blinked, before nodding his head. "Broken leg. I set it, but he can't move much. I was trying to get to the Garrison."

"Long way to the Garrison from civilization." Jackson observed. "Or what's left of it."

Keith tensed. "I, uh... live out in the desert, actually. It's closer."

Arching a brow at that, Veronica read between the lines. Out in the desert- in other words, he lived somewhere on _Garrison_ property, probably illegally. Weird- he couldn't be that much older than Lance, so what was a kid like this doing living out in the desert? As far as she knew, there weren't even any utility services that went out this far.

"Anyways, it's not important." Keith said, turning to her. "Do you know an Adam Warner?"

"Adam?" Veronica blinked. "You mean Officer Warner? I knew him, but..."

Brow furrowing, she quickly put two and two together. "Wait. Are you saying that the person with the broken leg is _Adam_? I thought-"

She thought all of the fighter pilots that had been sent out in the first wave were _dead_. To hear otherwise... had any others survived? Or was it just Adam?

Keith finally cracked a faint smile. "He's alive. Just... not really mobile right now."

She felt relief wash over her at his words. She and Adam had never exactly been close- at least, not before Sam returned to Earth with news of those important to both of them on his lips. After that, they had forged something of a bond. She would tell him about Lance, and while he didn't talk much about Shiro- she knew their relationship had turned rocky right before he had left for Kerberos- she got the feeling that just having someone around who was going through something similar to him helped.

It was why she had gotten so close to Sam and Colleen. They understood what it was like. The relief of knowing your loved one was alive. The uncertainty from not knowing where they were, or even if that was still true.

"Is your location secure?" Jackson inquired.

Keith chewed on his lip. "It is for now, but I don't know for how long. I, uh, kind of pissed off a few sentries about a half mile from our location."

That was an understatement if she'd ever heard one. Recalling the way he had torn into the two sentries, she got the feeling he'd probably destroyed them. Gaze dropping to his knife, she didn't miss the way that Keith tensed, seeming to pick up on the direction of her gaze.

Jackson just grimaced. "That'll do it. Do you know your coordinates? If you need transport, we may be able to work something out."

Keith seemed to consider it, visibly weighing his options, before he gave Jackson a curt nod of his head. "Yeah, I know them."

"Good. Got anything to write them down on?" Jackson inquired.

Keith reached into one of his belt pouches, tearing off a scrap of paper from what looked to be a hand-drawn map of the tunnel system. Adam's work, no doubt. Scribbling down his coordinates on it, he essentially shoved it into Jackson's hand. "It's a small shack. Can't miss it."

She glanced at the coordinates before Jackson tucked them away, confirming her suspicions. So he _had_ been living on Garrison property.

Well, whatever. _Weird_ , but whatever. It wasn't like it exactly mattered now.

"I should get back." Keith began, already turning on his heel.

"Wait." Veronica stopped him, grabbing his arm without thinking. He tensed at the contact, and immediately, she pulled her hand away. "I'm coming with you."

Keith looked uncertain, glancing back towards Jackson, who simply opted to say nothing. "Are you sure? Because-"

"I'm sure." Veronica said. "I need to see him, Keith."

That shut him up. Closing his mouth, Keith just gave her a curt nod. "Yeah, guess you would. I just thought you'd-"

"-rather go with the resistance?" Veronica finished, not missing the small frown on Keith's face. "I do. But if they're going to be coming to you- _us_ \- anyways, then I'd rather go back with you now."

She turned towards Jackson. "You are, right?"

"We're not about to leave someone who's been injured and a kid to fend for themselves." Jackson pointed out, ignoring the way Keith bristled like an angry cat at the latter remark. "Plus, we could use some people on our side who know how to deal with the sentries. Right now, it's all we can do to avoid them."

That seemed to make Keith relax a little, at least to the point where he didn't seem so tense. It reminded her of the way Lance was still upset at being a part of the kid's table- a thought that hit her with a pang. Knowing that her brother was alive was a huge relief, but the fact was that nobody knew where he- or the rest of Voltron- was right now.

She'd be lying if she said it didn't eat away at her.

She wished they had come back with Sam, but she could understand why they hadn't. There was a whole universe out there in danger from Zarkon and his Galra Empire- and as far as they knew, Earth was safe. And it _had_ been- until it wasn't.

"Fine," Keith relented, "-you can come."

Looking back towards Jackson, he frowned. "How will we know if you're coming?"

"Any chance you've got a radio in that shack of yours?" Jackson asked, to which Keith nodded. "Good. So do we. Keep your ears open. We'll send word when we're ready."

Keith squinted. "How will I know it's you?"

Jackson just snorted. "You'll know. Because if the Galra have figured out how to impersonate us already, then we're _all_ in trouble. You know how to get back to the surface from here?"

Keith just gave the man another curt nod, which apparently satisfied him. "Good. Stay low. This place will probably be crawling with sentries before long."

Veronica grimaced. All the better that she had cut off access to the one clear route to the Garrison, then. Maybe it hadn't been her intention, but the last thing she wanted to do was to put everyone at the Garrison in danger. They were facing a dire threat from the Galra- and without the IGF-Atlas, they were left with only the fusion cannon and the MFEs to protect themselves with.

She just hoped the materials they loaded would allow Sam to finish it.

They parted ways there, watching as Jackson disappeared further into the tunnels. Keith didn't relax until he was gone- she hadn't fully realized just how on edge he was until he let some of that tension go.

"So... now what?" Veronica asked.

Keith just frowned. "I'm guessing we can't get back to the Garrison."

"That was the only tunnel system that lead to it." Veronica told him. "So no."

Keith clicked his tongue, before pulling out his phone. Peering at the screen, she noted that he had the same hand-drawn map he'd been keeping in one of his belt pouches on it. "Adam draw that?"

Keith just glanced over towards her. "Yeah."

Veronica just hummed. "Where's your entry point?"

Shifting the map, Keith showed her. "Here. Once we're out, it's about a quarter mile to the shack."

Snatching the phone from him, Veronica ignored his sputter of protest. She looked over Adam's hand-drawn map herself, overlaying it with the map of the tunnel systems that she had memorized before they'd left. Glancing around, she looked for any indicators that told her where in the system they were now, and used that knowledge to determine how best to get back to the entry point Keith had used from that.

"Right," Veronica began, handing him his phone back, "-follow me."

Keith blinked. "You know how to get out of here?"

Veronica just arched a brow. "You don't?"

She swore he flushed at that remark. "I'd figure it out."

Veronica just hummed. Good thing she had decided to stick with him then, or he might end up wandering around the tunnels for days before he found another exit. "Come on, this way."

Keith hesitated for a second, but soon fell into step behind her. He was wary, but not of her- probably on the lookout for any more sentries. Jackson was right about one thing- before long, this whole system would be crawling with them. She wasn't sure how the Galra had found them in the first place, but she knew there were a few segments that extended all the way out to Plaht City- Sendak must have sent out a few patrols to figure out where they led.

They made their way through the darkened tunnels, Veronica relying mostly on her mental map of the place. Keith was silent the entire time- it wasn't just that he didn't say anything, it was more that she couldn't even hear him _move_. She had to keep checking behind her to make sure he was actually still there, and not a hallucination borne out of head trauma.

"So... a shack?"

"My dad's." Keith muttered.

"Your dad?" Veronica asked, peeking back towards him. She couldn't read the expression on his face- it was tight, guarded. "Is he with the Garrison?"

"He was a firefighter." Keith simply told her.

 _Was_. Which meant he either wasn't a firefighter anymore, or that he was gone. Somehow, she suspected it was the latter, since Keith hadn't mentioned anything about him. She couldn't imagine any father that would leave his teenage son alone during an alien invasion- at least, not by choice.

She suspected the Galra weren't giving the people of Earth many choices.

She tried not to think about her father. He would do _anything_ to keep their family together. They all would. She just hoped it would be enough.

"So... the blue paladin is your brother?" Keith asked. To be honest, she was surprised to hear him ask a question. He seemed... quiet. Maybe he was just too busy trying to figure out what his next move was. She wasn't totally convinced that he trusted Jackson, but he had at least been willing to take a chance on him. Probably because of Adam.

Veronica nodded. "Yeah. Lance. He's the baby of the family."

She wasn't sure why she told him _that_ , but at least it earned a chuckle out of him. She'd just chalk that up as a win.

* * *

The sunlight once they left the tunnels was almost blinding.

Blinking, Keith had to take a few moments to let his eyes adjust. That was the downside of having stellar night vision, he guessed- it took that much longer for his eyes to adjust between bright lights and darkness. To Veronica, stepping out of the tunnel and into daylight was probably just a minor inconvenience, but to him, _blinding_ was... pretty literal, actually.

Veronica.

Keith exhaled, his eyes finally adjusting to the sunlight. From the position of the sun, he would say it was well past noon. Adam probably wasn't expecting him back for another few hours.

He'd just meant to get to the Garrison. Playing hero- or trying to- hadn't been part of the plan. Neither had been picking up someone he knew, if only just barely. Eyes darting towards Veronica, Keith let himself frown.

He didn't know what to make of this development. He'd failed to get to the Garrison. But if what Jackson had said was true, then there was already some kind of organized resistance forming against the Galra- one that might be able to help. On his own, he could probably survive out here for years, but Adam?

Maybe this resistance had doctors. Even if they didn't, they had better odds at getting Adam treatment than he did. So far, they had been lucky. Adam's leg hadn't gotten infected, and while the break was bad, it wasn't terrible. But his shack wasn't exactly the best place to recuperate.

Not to mention the fact that they had been cut off from their only known source of water. Once they ran out...

He grimaced. He'd be able to last longer than Adam, but even he'd start to feel the effects of dehydration after awhile.

"Keith?"

Gaze shooting up to Veronica, Keith shook off his thoughts. "Sorry. Let's go."

She just nodded, letting him take the lead. The trek through the desert wasn't long, but it was still pretty brutal, even for him. He generally tried to avoid being out when the sun was at its peak, but right now, they didn't have a choice.

He passed Veronica his canteen, which she accepted with gratitude, drinking deep before handing it back to him. He clipped it back onto his belt without drinking any- he'd be fine for another hour or so. If she noticed, then she didn't say anything.

Eventually, he spotted the shack on the horizon. He breathed out, seeing that everything was just the way he left it. Part of him was worried that the Galra might have found the shack while he was gone- which was the other problem that he was dealing with. There was no telling how Sendak might react to having two of his sentries destroyed- and now he'd gone and destroyed two more.

Things weren't looking so great for him.

"Wow, it really _is_ a shack." Veronica noted, her brows nearly shooting up past her hairline. "I thought you were just being modest."

Keith gave her a weak smile. "It's not much, but it's home."

Or what was _left_ of it, at any rate.

Veronica just chuckled. "Well, at least nobody's going to be able to tell that it's inhabited just by looking at it. Your dad built this?"

Keith just nodded. "Yeah. A long time ago."

He'd built his own house too. The shack was just where he had stayed while he was still working on it. Thinking about it had childhood memories threaten to surface, and thinking about them only hurt, so he quickly shoved it aside. Dwelling on the past wasn't going to get him anywhere.

Just focus on the here and now. _Move on_.

There must have been something in his gaze or on his face, because Veronica didn't ask anything else. Three younger siblings, he recalled. Maybe she was just good at this sort of thing.

Coming to a halt in front of the shack, he tapped rhythmically on the door. He and Adam had established a kind of code- not that either of them thought the Galra would waste time knocking on the door, but better to be prepared than not. Once he felt Adam had sufficient time to prepare himself, Keith opened the door.

"Keith!" Adam greeted him. "You're back sooner than I thought you would be. Did something happen?"

"A few things." Keith gave him a weak smile. "There's someone I'd like you to meet."

Stepping aside, he let Veronica enter the shack. He could have sworn that Adam's jaw dropped open, though to his credit, he just as quickly shut it. "Veronica?"

Relief washed over Veronica's features, and she all but hurled herself at the thankfully seated Adam, otherwise she would have knocked him over for sure. "Adam! You're alive!"

Adam blinked, but chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around her. "Good to see you too. What are you doing here?"

Pulling away, Veronica gave him a wry smile. "I blew up a fuel tank and got stranded in the tunnels. Keith saved me."

Adam's smile fell. "I take it Keith didn't get to the Garrison, then."

"Path's closed." Keith shrugged, watching their exchange with mild interest. Guess they really did know each other. "But we did find someone claiming that he was a part of the resistance. We had to part ways, but I gave him our coordinates."

"There's a resistance?" Adam asked. "What kind?"

"From the sound of it, they're just starting to form their network. We didn't exactly get a lot of detail." Veronica told him. "Can I sit here?"

"Be my guest." Adam told her, scooting over. "Or well, _Keith's_ guest, technically. It's his shack."

Keith cracked a weak smile. "If I had known I was going to pick up this many freeloaders, I would have picked up more supplies."

Veronica arched a brow. "Interesting choice of words, considering you're living on Garrison property."

Keith just shrugged, grabbing the chair and flopping down in it. "It was my dad's land first."

"He's been pretty insistent about that part." Adam said. "So... what happened? How did you end up down in the tunnels?"

"The MFE pilots and I were gathering supplies from the old depot. Our objective was to load one of the old trains with them, repair it, and ride it straight back to the Garrison." Veronica explained. "That's when a Galra patrol came across us. Thankfully, we had enough time to load the supplies and repair the train, but their weapons didn't have any effect."

Keith narrowed his eyes at that. The Garrison's weapons had no effect on the sentries? Something about that didn't sound right, not when his knife had torn through them like butter. It suddenly felt like a weight at his back.

"Thankfully, I had the foresight to bring one of the weapons Sam built. It was a lot more effective." Veronica continued to explain. "But it was stationary, so I had no choice but to stay behind and let the cadets escape."

"And that's when you struck the fuel tank?" Adam asked.

"Pretty much." Veronica said. "I'm just lucky the debris didn't kill me. It did a number on my cannon, that's for sure. That's when Keith saved me from the two remaining sentries."

Adam glanced towards him. He just shrugged, trying to downplay it. "I didn't really stop to think about it."

Veronica turned towards him, pursing her lips in consideration. "How _did_ you do that anyways? Standard Garrison equipment couldn't even put a dent into them."

Keith tensed. He had sensed this question was coming at some point, but that didn't mean he was any better at answering it. Eventually, he just drew his knife, holding it up for them both to see. Adam already knew, so it wasn't like he could lie. "I used this."

Veronica's brows knit together. "A knife?"

Keith shrugged, again trying to downplay it. "I got it from my dad."

"Your dad," Veronica repeated, "-the firefighter, right?"

Keith nodded, sheathing his knife before either of them could think to inquire about the wrapped hilt. "Yeah."

She clearly frowned at that. He didn't blame her. Adam might have been willing to play it off, but he suspected that was because he didn't have any real basis as to how tough the Galran sentries were. Veronica did.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Veronica cut him off instead. "You know, I don't think I thanked you for saving me yet."

He blinked, snapping his mouth shut. Oh. He hadn't expected her to say that. Swallowing, he just nodded his head, unable to formulate a response. He still hadn't fully grasped the idea that he had actually _saved_ someone.

Sure, he'd saved Adam. But all he had done was be in the right place, at the right time. Anyone could have done that. And it wasn't even like it had been his intention to save Veronica either- he'd just done what his body had told him to, what his instincts had told him to.

"You're... welcome?" He finally managed.

Veronica just smiled. He tried to let himself take comfort in that, but he still felt uneasy. Knowing that it had taken a specially designed weapon to even put a _dent_ in the sentries left him with a knot in his stomach, and a million questions that he wasn't sure he wanted to find out the answers to.

"You said something about a resistance." Adam stated.

Grateful for the change of topic, Keith nodded. "Yeah. He invited us to come back with him, but I knew I had to get back to you."

"And I wanted to come with him." Veronica added. "I still can't believe you're alive."

"Me too, sometimes." Adam grimaced. "It was pretty bad out there. Did anyone else-?"

"-make it out?" Veronica finished- oh, so she did that to everyone. "No. Not that we know of. I'm sorry."

Adam's face fell, but he got the feeling that he hadn't been holding out much hope. Keith bit his lip, looking away. Losing people was something he knew too much about, and he didn't have to ask to know that Adam was probably close with the other members of his squad. Maybe one of them was the person he kept avoiding talking about.

Taking in a long breath, Adam steeled himself. "It's okay."

Veronica's frown just deepened. "It's not okay. Admiral Sanda made a bad call. She should have sent out the MFEs."

Keith lifted his head at that. _MFE_. She'd mentioned that acronym a few times now, but he wasn't familiar with it. "What's an MFE?"

"It stands for Mecha-Flex-Exo fighter." Veronica explained. "They're a new type of fighter that Sam developed, based off of Altean technology."

Keith frowned. "Altean?"

Veronica gave him a faint smile. "They're the ones who built the lions. Zarkon wiped out their planet, but their princess survived."

 _Princess_. Keith blinked. "Is she the one that flies the red lion?"

"That's her." Adam said. "Why?"

Keith just shook his head. "It's nothing."

It probably _was_ nothing. It just... something in his head _buzzed_ when she'd been brought up. It was so vague, so distant, that he couldn't get a fix on it, but it just reminded him of the weird vision he'd seen when he'd touched that weird circle in the blue lion's cavern- not to mention the weird dreams that had kept him up the previous night.

(The irony of him calling _anything_ weird was not lost on him.)

"Sam tried to build a fighter based off of Galra tech too," Veronica added, "-but unfortunately, it didn't get past prototype stage. Nobody could fly it."

"Sanda had every available pilot line up to try it." Adam recounted. "But it just didn't work. Sam said something about a biolock."

"Probably because of the crystal." Veronica remarked.

"Crystal?" Keith asked.

"It's apparently what they use to power their ships." Veronica explained. "Both the Galra and the Alteans use crystals from something called a _Balmera_ as a power source for their ships. We haven't been able to replicate anything like it. Everything has to be charged after use, so the MFEs only have a fairly short range. Sam was hoping to overcome that issue, but..."

"-but the invasion happened first." Adam finished.

Keith barely heard him. His head was too busy buzzing. Crystals being used as a power source? That sounded eerily familiar to what his dad's deep space radio was using. Was it the same thing? But why would he have something like that?

His dad _wasn't_ an alien. Sure, maybe he hadn't talked that much about their extended family, but he knew they existed. They had been at his funeral. He shivered, still recalling how they had looked at him with disdain, even as they tried to be polite about passing the burden of caring for him from one family member to the next. Like he couldn't see right through them. In the end, he was dumped on social services.

None of them wanted to take care of a kid with an unknown mother.

"Keith?" Adam frowned. "You okay?"

Snapping his head up, Keith swallowed. "Yeah. Fine. Just kind of tired."

It was a lie, but Adam accepted it. "Why don't you get some rest? It sounds like you had a long day. I can catch Veronica up to speed."

Keith chewed on his lip. He didn't exactly need to sleep. He didn't even know if he _could_ right now. "What if the resistance comes?"

Adam just gave him a reassuring smile. "We'll wake you."

He had half a mind to refuse, but instead he simply nodded, numb. His thoughts were still going a mile a minute- caught between painful memories of the past, and new uncertainties that his future had brought him. He suddenly, desperately wished that his dad were here, so he could ask him why his radio had an alien crystal. Why his knife could slice through alien robots.

Why he was so _weird_.

No one said anything as he made his way down into the bunker. He curled up in the bedroll, shutting his eyes tight. He couldn't decide if he wanted sleep to come, or if he was afraid of what would happen if it did.

He got the feelings his dreams would be haunted again.

* * *

Once Keith disappeared down into the bunker, Adam felt himself exhale. He hadn't even known he'd been holding his breath.

Veronica caught it, in the way that she usually did. Something about being an older sister just seemed to make her more perceptive. Arching a brow, she looked at him with a frown. "Something on your mind?"

"It's nothing." Adam lied.

"Doesn't seem like nothing." Veronica noted.

Adam heaved a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "It's just been a stressful week."

Veronica huffed. "Tell me about it. But I don't think that's what you were thinking about."

Leaning back against the couch, Adam drew in a long breath. He was thinking about a lot of things, actually. Their next step. This resistance. Veronica being here. Keith.

He looked across the room, gaze falling on the blaster that Keith had purloined from the sentries he'd fought the previous day. It had been on his mind ever since then. "So did the Garrison weapons really have no effect?"

Veronica shook her head. "None. Just bounced right off."

Adam grimaced. He still couldn't believe Keith had the nerve to go up against them with just a knife- nevermind that it had actually _worked_ , which was bizarre enough as it was. "Good thing you brought that cannon."

"I hoped I wouldn't need it." Veronica frowned. "Guess I did. But as long as the MFE pilots managed to get the supplies back to the Garrison, that's the most important thing."

"So... they worked." Adam said. "The fighters Sam built."

"Oh yeah, they worked." Veronica said. "So did the fusion cannon."

Adam heaved a sigh of relief. He hadn't been sure until now, but it was good to get verification. It only made him more bitter about the fact that his squad had essentially been sent out to become sacrifices, but he forced himself not to dwell on it. He didn't have to ask to know that the orders had come from Admiral Sanda, who was as by the book as they got.

And it had gotten countless pilots killed.

Exhaling, Adam rubbed his forehead. "So... it's really just me, then?"

Veronica placed a hand on his shoulder, sympathy in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Adam."

He swallowed, trying to force the tide of guilt back. He just felt like there was something more he could have done- but he knew that wasn't true. They had all been powerless against the Galra ships. Just surviving was a feat in and of itself, and it wasn't even something that he had managed to do himself. Without Keith, he'd be dead.

He couldn't stop coming back to that. Maybe this was what they meant by _survivor's guilt_.

"So... Keith rescued you, huh?" Veronica asked.

"Yeah. Pulled me from my ship." Adam told her. "You might have noticed the ah, wreckage."

"Kind of hard to miss." Veronica noted. "I take it you've been out here since then."

Adam nodded, rubbing his leg above the bandages. "Kind of hard to move with my leg like this. Thankfully, this seems to be the worst of it."

"Hopefully the resistance can help." Veronica told him. "Keith gave him his- _our_ \- coordinates. Now it's just a matter of waiting for them to contact us. No offense, but I wouldn't exactly call this place _secure_."

Adam snorted, giving her a weak smile. "Just don't let Keith hear you say that."

"So... did it really belong to his father?" Veronica asked.

"Apparently." Adam shrugged. "Did Cadet Griffin ever mention the kid who broke his jaw, back before he joined the Garrison?"

Keith's father, and the mysteries therein, weren't exactly something he wanted to discuss at the moment, especially without Keith in the room. It felt... underhanded. He wasn't certain if that was Veronica's intention, but as an analyst, her default state was to gather information. She had a natural inquisitiveness that made her perfect for the job, even if it did make her a little bit nosy on occasion.

He had a feeling that Keith was aware that there was something strange going on in correlation to his father. The way he'd turned pale when Veronica had started talking about the crystals... he hadn't exactly missed that, and he was willing to bet that neither had she. It wasn't like he was totally oblivious- he knew that there was something not normal about Keith. Hearing that the Garrison's standard equipment had failed to do any damage to the Galran sentries had only further reinforced that.

He didn't know what was going on there. What he did know was that he was a pretty good judge of character- and twice now, Keith had put himself at risk to pull others out of the line of fire. That was about as good an indicator as any.

Even if he _had_ punched James Griffin in the face that one time.

"A few times, though not recently." Veronica noted, arching her brows. "Why?"

"That's Keith." Adam deadpanned.

Veronica nearly choked. "You're serious?"

"I'm serious." Adam told her, cracking a smile. "What are the odds, right?"

"Good, apparently." Veronica observed. "I'm really glad you're alive, you know."

Adam blinked, before offering her a weak smile. He hadn't forgotten the multiple late night conversations they'd had about the paladins. Mostly about her brother- he wasn't sure he was ready to talk about Takashi just yet, but he'd always planned to broach the subject with Veronica, if he couldn't with Sam.

Once he was ready.

He wasn't sure he was ready yet.

"Yeah," Adam finally said, "-me too."

And survivor's guilt or not, he meant it.

* * *

"What does the high priestess say?"

"Sir," his lieutenant, Hepta, saluted, "-I am afraid I was unable to contact the high priestess. I spoke with one of her druids instead."

Sendak narrowed his eyes. Ever since the Kral Zera, Haggar's behavior had become erratic- but to not respond to his transmission? She was the one who instructed him to come to Earth, certain that the paladins would return to defend their home planet.

"And? What did they say?" Sendak inquired.

Hepta bowed his head. "There is a hunt ongoing. The druids seek to wipe out the mutinous Blades. One will be coming here."

A druid? Here? It was not something he had factored into his plans, but the news pleased him. The druids, with their strange magic, could make up for an entire regimen alone. With a druid on his side, his victory over this measly planet would all but be assured.

All that would remain was to wait for Voltron to arrive, just in time to witness the destruction of their home planet. After which, he would crush them, until the paladins of Voltron were nothing but dust, along with their lions.

"Good." Sendak said. "Inform me when they arrive. We will track down the Blade and wipe them out."


	6. there's a rebel spark in you

Chapter six! Valentine's Day is right around the corner, but more importantly, the day after that is a critically important holiday... yes, I'm talking about the first Discount Chocolate Day of the year. Mark your calendars and get your candy! Unless you're allergic, in which case, don't do that.

As always, thanks for reading!

* * *

 **flicker**

 **chapter six**

 **there's a rebel spark in you**

* * *

He woke disorientated, confused, and unable to remember exactly where he was.

Groaning, Keith took a second to place all of his limbs, curling his fingers into his palms as if to confirm that he was really here. His dream was already starting to fade from his memory, but he had gotten the distinct impression that he hadn't been in control of himself- if he'd even _been_ himself. He wasn't sure.

Slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position, he ran a hand through his hair. He didn't even remember falling asleep, but he guessed he must have. Dropping his hand, he merely stared at it for a long second, before he sighed, hauling himself to his feet. He was certain he'd had a weird dream, possibly even weirder than the one he'd had the previous night, but seeing as he couldn't even remember it this time, he wasn't going to let it bother him.

He had way too much to worry about as it was already. He couldn't afford to add anything else to that list.

Yawning, he tugged on his jacket, looping his belt back around his waist. With a quick check to make sure that his knife was still there, he left the bunker. He expected bright sunlight to greet him- he couldn't have been asleep for more than a few hours.

Instead, he was met with near darkness. The only light came from one of the camp lanterns, but otherwise, it was almost pitch black.

"Wha-?"

"Oh, you're awake."

For a split second, he failed to identify the voice- long enough for him to reach for his knife while he tried to place it. Veronica was sitting up by the lantern, looking mildly amused by his reaction.

"What?" She snorted, edges of her lips quirking in a grin. "You forget about me already?"

"I just," Keith began, slowly edging his hand away from his knife, "-what- what time is it?"

How could it possibly be this dark out already? He knew full well that night came fast in the desert, but it usually didn't come _this_ fast.

"You conked out for like, eight hours." Veronica told him.

Eight- how could he have been asleep for _eight hours_? That didn't sound right. He never slept that long, not unless he was sick. And he didn't _feel_ sick- just disorientated. And that was mostly due to the weird dream he'd had.

"Why didn't... why didn't anyone wake me up?" Keith finally asked.

He couldn't ask why he had slept for eight hours. People were _supposed_ to sleep for eight hours. Maybe not in the middle of the day, but still.

"We tried, but you seemed pretty tired." Adam said, and he jumped a little, glancing towards the couch. He was surprised to find Adam awake. His initial thought was that Veronica was on watch duty, but he guessed he was wrong. "We thought it better to just let you sleep."

That was... disturbing. He wasn't exactly known for being a deep sleeper. How had he not noticed someone trying to wake him up?

"Oh," Keith swallowed, hoping that his reaction wasn't too telling, "-uh, thanks. I think."

Adam just smiled at him. He felt something in him ease at the sight of it, even if he was still pretty anxious. "We saved you some dinner. Thought you might be hungry."

His stomach answered that before he had a chance to, growling loudly. He flushed, ducking his head, knowing that there was no chance that they didn't hear that.

"I'm just going to take that as a yes." Adam observed.

"Shut up." Keith grumbled. "Haven't eaten since breakfast, that's all."

Grumbling, he made his way over towards the tiny area he had dubbed the kitchen. It wasn't a real kitchen, not by a long shot- it was just where he kept the camp stove and other related equipment. There was a plastic container of stew waiting for him, which he hastily heated back up. He puzzled over the Tupperware for a moment, before he dimly recalled the matron of the orphanage had given it to him as a parting gift when he had left- he'd just never touched it since.

"Where did you even find this?" Keith asked.

"We dug it out while we were looking for something to keep the stew in." Adam told him. "I'm guessing you haven't used them much."

"Nope." Keith admitted, grabbing the stew and dumping it into a bowl. Taking a spoonful, he frowned. "Who made this?"

"That would be me." Veronica said. "Sorry if it tastes weird. I had Adam supervise, but cooking isn't my strong suit."

Keith just hummed, taking another spoonful. It wasn't bad, just kind of bland. But it wasn't exactly like he had the forethought to stock up on spices- he was just lucky he'd remembered to get salt. "It's fine. I'm not much of a cook either."

"Yeah, well, we can't all be Adam." Veronica grinned. "What was your first plan again, becoming a chef?"

Adam shrugged. "Not enough excitement at culinary school."

Keith snorted. "Regretting that choice now?"

He hadn't known that about him, but it sounded like it made sense. Adam was always sort of riding his tail about his eating habits. At first he thought he was just nutritionally minded- and maybe he was- but somehow the fact that he had once planned to go to culinary school didn't surprise him.

"A little." Adam admitted. "I thought becoming a pilot would be more exciting. Guess I was right."

Keith took another spoonful of stew, chewing on the meat thoughtfully. He knew the feeling. When he was a kid, he'd wanted to be a pilot too. Every kid who lived on the outskirts of the Garrison had. When his dad was still around, he even thought he might have had a chance. But after he'd died, that dream had gone with him.

But there was no sense dwelling on what he couldn't change, so he didn't. His gig at Tsuyoshi's shop hadn't been bad. He enjoyed the work, and he'd been a good boss. It didn't hurt that the pay had been pretty good too.

Besides if he wasn't here, what would have happened to Adam? Or Veronica? Maybe there was a reason the universe had conspired to put him here. If he looked at it that way, maybe it wasn't so bad that he'd never been able to become a pilot. It had only ever been a child's dream anyways.

"So," Keith began, "-we hear anything from Jackson yet? Or the resistance?"

Veronica shook her head. "Not yet."

Hm. Well, it might just take them awhile to move. The shack was pretty remote, after all.

Or maybe Jackson had gotten caught by the sentries. He didn't know. He hoped not. He didn't exactly like the way the guy kept calling him a kid, but he didn't seem like a bad person- even if his appearance had been a little too conveniently timed.

Eyes darting over towards Veronica, he pushed that thought aside. If Jackson's appearance had been conveniently timed, then what about his? Probably the only reason he was suspicious of him was because that was just the way he was by default- suspicious. It was a character flaw that he recognized- while it served its purposes, when he just ended up being suspicious of everyone, it became less useful and more of a hindrance.

He couldn't even put one hundred percent of his faith into _Adam_.

"If you guys want to get some sleep, I can keep watch." Keith offered.

Veronica yawned. "I might just take you up on that. You said there's bed rolls down in the bunker?"

"Just one." Keith admitted. "Didn't really think I'd have company."

Veronica just snorted. "I have four siblings. I don't mind sharing."

Looking up at her, Keith blinked. "I thought you said you had three?"

"Three younger siblings," Veronica told him, "-and one older sibling. Incidentally, I'm also an aunt."

Keith frowned, his brow creasing. He knew that she had family, but he didn't realize it was so _big_. Glancing over towards Adam, the furrow of his brow just deepened. He didn't talk about them, but he was sure that he had family out there somewhere too. Tsuyoshi and his wife had their daughter and her family- that was why they had left Plaht City. Colleen did, and hell, so did Griffin.

Everyone had a family. He was the only one who didn't.

It was just... for once, that was actually an _advantage_. He wasn't sure what to make of that, but he didn't think he liked it.

Adam caught him looking his way, and he ducked his head to avoid his eyes. Shit. He hadn't meant to stare. He knew his eyes looked odd in this kind of light. That they made him look creepy. He was honestly just surprised that no one had brought it up yet.

"I'm an only child," Adam said suddenly, "-but I nearly had a younger brother. Mom lost the baby, though. Couldn't have kids after that. She was pretty broken up about it."

Keith lifted his head, blinking. What was...?

"Ouch, that sucks." Veronica grimaced in sympathy. "Luis' wife nearly lost their first child. It was a pretty hard birth. Thankfully their second kid was a lot easier."

Glancing up at them, Keith frowned. He didn't understand why they were talking about this, but it kind of sounded like they wanted him to join. Or maybe he was just imagining that, or reading it wrong. He didn't know. "I... I don't have any siblings, either. I think."

Veronica blinked. "You think?"

Chewing on his lip, Keith slowly nodded. He still didn't know what had brought the subject up, but if they were both going to open up about their families, then he should- he should try to meet them halfway. That was how this sort of thing worked, right?

"I never really knew my mom. She left when I was still a baby." Keith told them. "So... I guess, hypothetically I could? But dad never mentioned having another kid, so they'd probably be half siblings or something. I guess... I guess I never really gave it any thought."

"You said he was a firefighter, right?" Veronica asked. "Your dad."

Keith nodded. "Yeah. He was a real hero."

"I don't doubt that." Adam faintly smiled. "His kid sure is one."

Keith froze, not sure if he heard him right. No one had ever said that to him before. Usually when they talked about what a hero his dad was, it was always in the context of what a disappointment _he_ was.

"Thanks," he ducked his head, unable to meet Adam's eyes, "-but I'm no hero."

"Keith, you saved my life." Adam told him.

"And mine." Veronica added.

"Well, yeah, but... isn't that what anyone would do?" Keith asked.

"No." Veronica shook her head. "Trust me, that's not something just anyone can do."

He didn't look up. All he could think was that she meant tearing into the sentries like he had. Honestly, he barely even remembered it. All he had done was act on instinct- the same kind of instinct that used to get him in so much trouble before he moved out here to Plaht City, and had resolved to do better.

Of course no one else could do that. He was a freak. He knew that- and he was sure they both knew it by now too. They were just too nice to say anything.

Adam just heaved a sigh. "You didn't have to pull me from my fighter, but you did. A lot of people would have just stayed hidden. You didn't."

"And a lot of people would have just turned around and gone the other way." Veronica added- and only then did he look up, it slowly dawning on him that she hadn't meant what he thought she did. "You didn't do that. You put yourself at risk to help me, before you even know who I was. I'm pretty sure that's the definition of a hero."

Keith just stared at them both. He thought maybe they were just being nice, but they... they actually _meant_ it. They thought _he_ was a hero- the violent, aggressive dropout with anger issues, the freak that nobody had ever wanted. The problem child. The discipline case.

 _Him_.

"I," Keith began, before abruptly standing up, "-I'm going to keep watch outside. Let me know if you hear anything over the radio."

With that, he hurried outside before anyone could stop him. Moving on instinct, he scrambled up onto the roof, only allowing himself to relax once he had curled up its highest point, tugging his knees close to his chest. He felt stupid- people were actually being nice to him for a change, and all he could think to do was run away.

Why was he still like this? He thought he had gotten better at accepting kindness. But maybe the truth was that it wasn't kindness he had gotten better at accepting- it was just the people giving it to him. Colleen, Tsuyoshi and his wife- maybe... maybe he'd just gotten used to them.

Adam and Veronica were new. Different. And they had seen parts of him that he never risked showing anyone else. Colleen didn't know his eyes could glow in the dark. Tsuyoshi had no idea that he had a knife that could tear apart alien robots that not even Garrison tech could touch. But Adam and Veronica? They did.

And they still called him a hero.

Burying his head in his knees, Keith shut his eyes. Was it- was it really okay for him to be this _happy_? They were in the middle of an alien invasion. People were _dying_. It didn't... it didn't feel right.

It didn't feel right, but he'd take it.

* * *

Veronica watched Keith hurry out of the shack, a slight frown on her face. She hadn't expected him to flee- actually physically _flee_ \- from a compliment. "You think he's gonna be okay?"

Yawning, Adam leaned back against the couch. "He'll be fine. He's just skittish."

Veronica snorted. "You make him sound like a stray cat."

Arching a brow, Adam gave her a faint smile. "Are you saying that he's not?"

Veronica opened her mouth to dispute that, only to quickly close it. "Did you notice-?"

"His eyes?" Adam finished. "Yeah. They do that sometimes."

Veronica hummed, considering it. Maybe Adam was on to something with his cat comparison at least to the extent that she hadn't been able to dispute it. The way Keith's eyes glinted whenever they caught the light of the lantern definitely reminded her of the old stray that used to hang around her family home. It was a little weird, if she was going to be honest. She was pretty sure human eyes weren't meant to do that.

But compared to what they were dealing with- which was a ten thousand year old evil alien empire- a kid with cat-like eyes was downright benign. They weren't half as eerie as Sendak's had been- all pupil or no pupil- she didn't know which. Didn't matter.

(That wasn't even touching on the one that was _robotic_.)

So instead of dwelling on it, she just shrugged. "Guess there's all kinds."

Adam just snorted, lying back down on the couch. Yawning loudly, she took that as her cue to get some rest. Opening the trap door, she carefully made her way down into the bunker, only briefly pausing to wonder why it was there. Then again, Keith's dad had apparently chosen to live in the middle of the desert- and as far as she was concerned, there was a pretty select group of people who opted to do something like that.

No offense to Keith. He seemed like a good kid, cat eyes and all.

The bunker was barren, and the bedroll was a bit hard. There wasn't even a pillow. Not the best conditions to sleep in, but after a day like today, she was pretty sure she'd fall asleep the second she closed her eyes.

* * *

The night passed without incident, as did most of the next day.

By the time anyone from the resistance actually contacted them, Keith was starting to think that they wouldn't. That maybe Jackson had either been caught by the sentries, or that he'd lied. But no- he followed through on his promise, and sure enough, that same night, they made their first official contact with the resistance.

They were a scrappy bunch, but he couldn't say he was surprised. But they had a truck, which meant they could transport Adam. He still wasn't certain if he trusted them, but he also knew it was probably better than staying here, as reluctant as he was to actually leave the shack.

Jackson was with the group that met them- there were three of them, including a heavyset balding man with orange hair and a younger looking woman with dark skin and even darker hair. They introduced themselves as Richard and Ciela, and they seemed... nice enough, he guessed. They didn't have a whole lot of time to spare on introductions.

It was quickly decided that they would move out that night. The faster they acted, the less chance the Galra had at catching them. From the sound of it, they were slowly starting to set up more concrete patrol patterns- which meant more and more sentries were on the streets of Plaht City- and that more and more of them were starting to spread out. Even if it took awhile for the shack to be compromised, it probably wouldn't be much longer before leaving it would prove problematic.

They loaded Adam into the back of the truck first. Next were supplies- as many as they could fit while still providing space for Veronica and Ciela. He would follow them by hoverbike, leaving them extra room to load supplies. He tried to be mindful of his strength as they loaded things onto the back of the truck, even if he knew that they could get this done a lot quicker if he just used the full extent of what he was capable of.

He just... he didn't want to make the wrong first impression. Once he left the shack, he wouldn't have anywhere else to go.

Once they were done loading the truck, he hastily packed some personal items. There was an old photo album with pictures of him and his dad, and his dad's old work vest. He rolled up his bed roll and packed a few changes of clothes- and after a moment's thought, shoved his sketchbook in with everything else. He hadn't exactly had any time to draw after the invasion started, but somehow he couldn't stand the thought of leaving it behind.

Beyond that... he really didn't have much else. Years of being in the system had taught him how to travel light. To not get attached.

But the shack... the shack was different. It was the one place he could truly call home. He'd been born here, grew up here.

So when it came time to leave, he paused. Hesitated. There was a chance he might never be able to come back. That it might not survive the invasion. That _he_ might not survive the invasion.

In the end, he was glad he did. His eye caught his father's deep space radio- they weren't able to bring it with them. He still didn't know why it was here, or even why it had that strange crystal in it. He didn't even know if it really was one of these Balmeran crystals or not. He just... he didn't think he should leave it here.

Maybe the radio was too big to move, but the crystal wasn't. So he took it, tucking it away in one of his belt pouches. Taking one last look at the shack- at his _home_ \- he drew in a long breath. This was the second time he'd had to leave it behind.

At least this time, he was doing so by choice.

* * *

The resistance base was closer to Plaht City than he thought it would be, though it was still on the outskirts. Jackson drove, and he followed- he quickly proved to have both an uncanny sense of direction and an impressive ability to memorize where the Galra patrols were. It meant they could avoid them easily, but also that they couldn't use direct paths, which resulted in them not arriving until it was nearly dawn.

The base itself was underground. Maybe once it had been used as a warehouse, but it had probably been abandoned long before the invasion. It was more like a central gathering point rather than a base- a place where they could keep supplies without the Galra batting an eye. Made sense. Even if the sentries came through here, he doubted they would pay much attention to the number of crates.

He parked his hoverbike where he was told, pocketing the keys. Grabbing his bag, he hung it over his shoulder, heading to rejoin Adam and the others. They were already starting to unload the truck, able hands sorting out the supplies they had brought with them- mostly food, water, and medical supplies, as well as the two canisters of fuel he had taken from Tsuyoshi's shop what felt like ages ago now.

Leaning against the truck bed, he peered up at Adam. He looked slightly green- from behind, he had seen the way the truck bed would jostle from time to time. "Need a hand?"

"What are you going to do, lift me out of the truck?" Adam asked.

Arching a brow, Keith grinned. "Do you want me to?"

"I'd rather keep what dignity I have left, thank you." Adam said.

He just snorted, not quite stopping himself in time. "Oh, you had some?"

Adam stared at him, and for a split second, he internally panicked, wondering if he'd maybe overstepped his bounds. But then Adam cracked a smile, and he felt relief wash over him. "Around you? Probably not, no. Around these people? Yes, I'd like to keep some dignity, thank you."

"Just for the record," Veronica butted in, "-you don't have a lot of that with me either. I still remember the bunny slippers incident."

"Oh god," Adam audibly groaned, "-I was honestly hoping everyone had forgotten about that."

Keith tilted his head, more than a little curious. "Bunny slipper incident?"

"Well-"

"Nope," Adam cut her off, "-we're not talking about that."

Glancing towards him, Veronica just shrugged. "Fine. Suit yourself. I'll just tell Keith all about it in private later."

Adam opened his mouth, probably to protest, but he didn't get the chance. Their arrival had already caused a small commotion, even if they were expected. Now there was another one, as the crowd that was half there to unload supplies, and half to gawk at the newcomers, split apart to allow someone new to join them.

He looked older, maybe a good twenty years or so older than Jackson, but still fit. Based on the way the rest of the resistance members seemed to be deferring to him, he guessed he was someone pretty important. He had a good hunch that this was probably their leader. He definitely held himself like he was in charge- confident and self-assured.

"Jackson tells me you bunch are from the Garrison." He said, speaking in a heavy Australian accent that caught him by surprise. "I'm Duane. You could call me the leader of this ragtag bunch."

"Veronica." Veronica introduced herself, extending her hand. "That's Adam and Keith."

"Nice to meet the lot of you." Duane said, taking her hand and giving it a firm shake. "And many thanks for sharing what you have with us. It'll help."

"It wasn't exactly safe to stay where we were for much longer." Keith said, before glancing around, scanning the crowd. "So... do you guys have any doctors around?"

Duane shook his head. "No doctors, but we've got several nurses and one very promising medical student. I hear you've got a busted up leg."

That last statement was directed towards Adam, who merely grunted in acknowledgment. "It's seen better days, yeah."

"Well, don't worry too much about it." Duane said. "I'm afraid with how sudden the invasion was, you're not the only person here who got hurt. We'll see what we can do to fix you up."

"I already reset the bone." Keith said. "But I've never had to do first aid on anyone but myself."

He left out the part where he wasn't exactly _normal_ , medically speaking. They probably didn't need to know that. It was bad enough that he was probably going to have to disclose information about his knife- that is, _if_ he decided to stay here. His goal had been to deliver Adam to someone who could help him- and while maybe they weren't at the Garrison, he'd done that now.

He wasn't exactly one for working well with groups. Maybe he'd have better luck if he struck out on his own. He'd have a lot less to explain that way, that was for sure.

"I don't suppose you have any way of getting into contact with the Garrison?" Veronica asked.

Duane shook his head. "I'm afraid not. We've been trying, but none of our messages get through. We weren't even sure if it was still standing or not until Jackson ran into you."

"We had that same problem." Adam said. "It must have something to do with the particle barrier."

"Particle barrier?" Duane asked.

"It's that weird, glowy thing." Keith reported.

A look of understanding dawned across the older man's face. "Ah. Well, that's a good enough theory for me. Let's get the three of you settled in, and then we can talk information. With any luck, we'll be able to help each other out."

With that, Duane left, heading off to oversee the matter of the supplies they had brought back with them. He watched his back until he couldn't see it anymore. It must have been longer than he thought, because by the time he turned back to Adam and Veronica, the former had already been helped out of the truck.

Balancing on his makeshift crutch, Adam gave him a faint smile. "Nervous?"

He shifted on his feet. "I'm not exactly good with people. Especially not this many."

There were definitely more people here than he had expected. Probably a good thing- when he had gone to observe the city the other day, the Galra had already been rounding people up. If there were this many people with the resistance, maybe there was more of a chance that they would make it through this than he thought.

Honestly? He hadn't been thinking that far ahead. His sole focus for the past week or so was to find a way to get Adam to the Garrison. Now suddenly, he didn't have to think about that anymore.

Leaning on his crutch, Adam rested a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. They all seem like good people. I'm sure you'll fit right in."

Keith just nodded, unable to admit that he had a harder time seeing it that way. Sure, he didn't think they were bad people, it was just... he was too used to seeing the ugly sides of people, especially the ones that others considered to be good. If there was one thing being in foster care had taught him, it was that some people only looked good on the outside.

And even if they were... well, _fitting in_ just wasn't what he did.

"Who knows?" Veronica shrugged, pulling him out of his own thoughts. "Maybe this intelligence network they're building might actually be able to do some damage to Sendak."

Keith blinked, looking up at her. "You really believe that?"

"No," Veronica admitted, "-but I'd rather believe that than believe the alternative."

Frowning, Keith dropped his gaze. He didn't have to ask to know what the alternative was- that humanity didn't stand a chance against Sendak. That even if they waited for them, the paladins would never come. That the reason they had disappeared was because they were dead, and now they were on their own.

As someone related to one of the paladins, Veronica probably knew that better than anyone.

"Yeah," Keith said, trying to believe it himself, "-that'd be nice."

* * *

Getting Adam examined had taken at least another hour. They were lucky enough to find a nurse who had worked at an orthopedic clinic, who looked over Adam's leg with a critical eye. They had been relieved to hear that it seemed to be healing properly, though from the sound of it, it would take another few weeks before he had full use of his leg again. She rewrapped his leg, splinting it with a professional touch.

After that, Ciela found them again, giving the three of them a tour of their modest base. She detailed things like escape routes and emergency procedures, which Keith hastily committed to memory. He still didn't know if he'd be sticking around, but it couldn't hurt to have this stuff memorized just in case.

She showed them where they could sleep- and again, Keith had to pause for a moment, surprised by the number of people that were actually here. It wasn't just individuals, but there were whole families here- some with kids, and others with elderly members. He guessed this place was as much a refuge from the Galra as it was a resistance base.

He caught Veronica watching some of them, lingering for just a moment. It wasn't hard to guess what she was thinking about. He thought about Tsuyoshi again, how he had planned to head across country in search for his daughter and her kids.

He also noticed the hushed whispers as they passed through. He kept his gaze fixed to the floor, trying not to draw attention to himself. He knew it was probably Veronica they were all looking at, not him- she was still wearing her pressure suit from the Garrison. That tended to draw attention.

Still, he decided he'd find someplace else to sleep tonight.

"Ah, there the three of you are!" Duane called out, motioning for them to come over. "I trust Ciela's given you the lay of the place."

"She has." Adam said. "So... how long have you people been here?"

"Not long." Duane said. "We were more scattered before. We only found this place recently. The Galra have already combed through this area looking for survivors, so they shouldn't be coming back through any time soon. At least, not in any numbers."

Adam nodded. "Good to hear it. You said you wanted to talk intelligence?"

"Aye, that we do." Duane said. "Figure anyone that's with the Garrison probably knows what's going on more than we do."

"Veronica's probably the one you want to talk to then." Adam said. "I was part of the initial wave of fighters that the Garrison sent out, but my plane was downed in that same battle. Probably wouldn't have made it out if Keith here hadn't pulled me from my plane."

Keith ducked his head, involuntarily feeling his cheeks heat up. They hadn't exactly discussed the whole _hero_ thing since that night, and honestly, he still hadn't sorted out all of his feelings towards it. He'd been a lot of things in his short life, but a _hero_?

That just didn't sound like him.

"Damned lucky then." Duane noted, glancing down at Adam's leg. "Getting out of that mess with just a broken leg. Someone must be watching over you."

Adam tensed at the statement, before he gave a curt nod of his head. "Guess so."

Frowning, Keith studied Adam. It wasn't the first time he'd noticed it, but sometimes he seemed to act... _strange_. Distant. Like there was something- or some _one_ \- that he didn't want to talk about.

He tried not to dwell on it- they had only known each other for a little over a week now, it wasn't exactly a surprise that there was stuff they hadn't shared with each other. He hadn't exactly been completely honest with Adam either, if only by the virtue of omission. He couldn't exactly expect him anything different from him.

What he did take note of was the knowing look in Veronica's eyes. Whatever this was about, she probably knew.

"We're dealing with a Galra by the name of Sendak." Veronica began. "He's the leader of a separatist movement, one that goes by the Fire of Purification. Previously, he used to serve as the right hand of the Galra Empire's former emperor."

"Sounds like trouble." Duane observed.

"Oh, he is." Veronica agreed. "His goal seems to be finding the Voltron lions, but he may have other motivations that we're just not aware of yet. He's got a grudge against the paladins that potentially might be motivating him."

Duane frowned. "Jackson mentioned your brother was a paladin."

Veronica nodded. "Yeah. Lance. He's the blue paladin."

"Guessing you haven't had any contact with him." Duane said.

Veronica shook her head. "None."

"Sorry to hear that." Duane told her- and he sounded like he actually meant it. "When the invasion first started, my daughter was away on a school trip all the way in France. I haven't been able to get into contact with her since."

Veronica looked sympathetic. "I know how you feel. I've got family out there too."

"So," Keith spoke up, "-do you know what they're rounding people up for?"

He felt a bit guilty about it, but he didn't want to listen to another reminder that everyone else had families.

"As far as we can tell, it's for work camps. Those who are able-bodied are being put to work. Those who aren't are being used as hostages to force compliance." Duane said. "It's only in the early stages, so we've no idea what it is that they're trying to build, but they've already stared construction on some kind of installation on the outskirts."

"That's terrible." Veronica said.

"Aye," Duane agreed, "-we've been trying to gather as much intelligence as we can, but we can't risk getting too close. Maybe now that you're here, we can start to change that."

Keith tensed. He got a feeling he knew where the topic was heading. He just wasn't sure if he was ready for it yet.

"Jackson tells me you've dealt with sentries before." Duane said, addressing him now. "We haven't worked out a way to damage them yet. We could use some insight if you've got any to share."

He tried not to read too much into to what he was saying, but he couldn't stop himself. He wasn't sure if there even _was_ any underlying suspicion in his words, but it sure felt like it to him. "I don't know if I can help. I can destroy them, yeah, but..."

He just didn't know _how_.

"Keith's father," Adam began, resting a hand on his shoulder, even as he kept his gaze level with Duane's, "-regrettably passed away several years ago. He left him an old family heirloom in the form of a knife. We think maybe something about the way it was treated enables it to be effective against the sentries. Unfortunately, we don't know much about it."

Keith blinked, looking up at him. The first part was true, but the last part had been a bald faced lie, and they both knew it.

Had Adam sensed he was nervous? He hadn't really questioned the knife, which he was grateful for, but he hadn't expected that he would _lie_ for him about it. But at the same time... the fact that he _was_ lying about it meant that he recognized that there was something abnormal about his knife- and possibly even about him.

Who was he kidding? _Of course_ Adam had noticed there was something abnormal about him. There was no way he _hadn't_.

If he stuck around, it was only a matter of time before everyone else realized it too.

For his part, Duane merely blinked, his gaze dropping to the knife Keith wore at his back. He tried not to look too tense, but knew he was likely failing.

"Well," Duane said after a long moment of consideration, "-it's a start."

He didn't start to breathe again until the topic of the conversation turned away from him. He listened with half an ear as Duane detailed the exact nature of their budding operations. It was mostly intelligence gathering, but they were hoping to expand their efforts to rescue operations, with the intention of liberating people from the work camps.

There were already the beginnings of an expansive underground network, linked together by radio. Much of the world was in a similar state, and it would seem that there was no location on the globe that had been spared by the Galra Empire's wrath. Outside the Garrison, nowhere was safe.

It was literally hell on Earth.

* * *

"Sir, the druid has arrived."

Sendak turned towards the sentry that had addressed him. "Excellent. Have him escorted to the bridge so that we can begin our hunt for the Blade at once."

"Yes sir." The sentry saluted, hastily complying.

Two more sentries had been recovered with the same type of damage- and he was starting to grow impatient. A single Blade was hardly a threat to this plans, but their presence here was nonetheless an unwelcome interference. While it was his understanding that the druids had recently taken to hunting down the mutinous Blade of Marmora, there was still always the chance that they could summon others.

And while one Blade was merely a nuisance, several of them could prove an issue. Better to nip it in the bud before it could become that.

The druid arrived posthaste. He could not even begin to recognize which of the high priestess' druids it was- their robes and masks were designed so that they appeared formless, faceless. It was meant to intimidate, to strike fear in the hearts of those who bore witness to them- even if they were Galra.

But he had never feared.

"Commander Sendak," the druid spoke, "-I hear you are having a problem with a stray Blade."

Sendak narrowed his eyes at the choice of phrase. The solitary Blade had proved mildly annoying thus far, but hardly a _problem_. He spoke as if he were attempting to challenge his leadership, and he did not care for it.

"That is why you have been summoned here." Sendak told him, keeping his tone level. "Let us hope that it is not a task that proves burdensome to you."

"Hardly." The druid said. "I will simply require a few sentries."

"I will see to it that it is done." Sendak stated. "You are also welcome to the sentries that they have damaged. Perhaps you will be able to find clues that my technicians were unable to locate."

"Excellent." The druid said. "With their aid, it should take me no more than a phoeb to track down your stray Blade."

"When you do, I want them brought before me alive." Sendak instructed. "The condition you bring them to me in does not matter, so long as they are still able to answer a few questions."

The druid simply hummed. "Those with the Blade of Marmora are not easily made to speak."

"In that case," Sendak said, "-I will simply savor finishing off the traitor myself."

While Voltron and its paladins were among the most loathsome of those who had rose up against the Empire, the Blade of Marmora and their traitorous leader were just as vile. Their mutinous actions had lead directly to Emperor Zarkon's death, and his fool of a son being placed on the throne- seizing it from him with the aid of Voltron and the Blades. While he might have deep respect for his father, he had nothing but contempt for Prince Lotor. He hoped Haggar never found him.

Under their robes, the druid shifted. "As you wish."

"What am I to call you?" Sendak asked. "All you druids look the same."

The druid did not appear to react to his taunt, but he did not think they would. "You may call me Macidus. Rest assured, Commander, I will find your Blade."

"See that you do."


	7. our home is here

Hello, hello, here's the next chapter for all you good boys and girls! As always, thanks for reading, and I hope that you enjoy this latest update! There's a bit of time skippage in this chapter, just as a heads up- it progresses the story as a whole by about a month.

* * *

 **flicker**

 **chapter seven**

 **our home is here**

* * *

"Adam said I might find you here."

Looking up at Veronica, Keith managed a strained smile. "Guess he was right."

He hadn't actually expected anyone to come looking for him. Once things had settled down a bit, and living arrangements started to be made, he'd retreated back to where he had left his hoverbike. He hadn't said anything- he'd been starting to feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people, and the fact that it felt like they all had their eyes on him definitely didn't help.

Even if he was pretty sure that latter part was mostly his imagination. There probably _were_ some people watching him, just not as many as he felt like there were. Even then, it was probably just passing curiosity- nothing malevolent, or even dangerous.

Even so, it had been enough. He felt better about sleeping here anyways. He had a hunch that he hadn't seen the last of those weird dreams.

"Came to get away from the crowds?" Veronica asked, sitting next to him. "Can't say I blame you. There are a lot more people here than I was expecting."

"I mean... that's a good thing, right?" Keith asked.

"Oh, definitely." Veronica agreed. "The less people being held captive by the Galra, the better."

Chewing on his lip, Keith glanced over towards her. Maybe he wasn't the most socially inept, but even he could read between the lines of that statement.

"You hoped you'd find them here." Keith said. "Your family."

"Is it that obvious?" Veronica asked.

"You kept looking around." Keith told her, before hesitating, briefly wondering if he'd said too much. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

Veronica shook her head. "No, you're right. I _was_ kind of hoping to see them. It's silly, really. They don't even _live_ near the Garrison. Just me and Lance."

Keith shook his head. "I don't think there's anything silly about it. They're your family, right? I think wanting to see them is pretty normal."

If he could see his father again, he would. But he couldn't. Aliens might be real, but he was pretty sure that even they didn't have a way to bring back the dead.

"Yeah, guess you're right." Veronica said.

"Who knows?" Keith shrugged. "Maybe they're safe. There's _got_ to be other places like this. Maybe they found one."

"I sure hope so." Veronica said, leaning back against the stack of crates. "It was bad enough when Lance disappeared, but..."

Veronica stopped herself short, offering him a weak, awkward smile. "Sorry. You probably don't want to hear about all that."

There wasn't any pity in her voice, just consideration, but it was still enough to stir up old wounds. He was all too familiar with how cautious some people could get when it came to talking about their families around orphans. He knew how it went- they didn't think the poor kid with no family of their own wanted to hear about theirs- especially not when it came to subjects like this.

It had never sat well with him, especially when he was younger, and had still been actively living in foster care. Once he moved out, he thought he had grown out of it- but he guessed it still bothered him a little. At least now he understood that most of the time, it was at least coming from a good place, but when he was younger...

...when he was younger, it was the reason he'd started some of those fights.

It had felt like they were _mocking_ him, somehow. In hindsight, he had probably just been lashing out, looking for a place to take out all the anger and frustration that had been building up inside of him. That was... admittedly still a problem, which was just another reason why he had chosen to drop out of school in the first place. It just hadn't been a good environment for him.

Working at Tsuyoshi's shop had helped. He'd been like a calm anchor, and while his temper was definitely still there, it was a little more restrained. He didn't want to cause any problems for him, not when he had stuck his neck out to give him a job, Colleen's recommendation or not.

He knew what his own history looked like- maybe he'd always been handled by the juvenile courts system, but it _was_ true that he had a criminal record. In the grand scheme of things, he guessed it was all pretty irrelevant now.

"It's fine." Keith told her. "I don't mind."

Veronica frowned. "You sure? I saw the way you were looking at those families."

Keith blinked, surprised she had even noticed. He guessed he had been, but he wasn't aware that it had come across as _longing_ , or whatever it was Veronica had thought she saw. And he guessed maybe it was, just a little- but honestly?

He'd never been more grateful to be an orphan.

That was the thought that had caused him so much internal conflict- not the fact that there were families here, or that he felt _jealous_ of them. He felt... he felt _bad_ , almost, for not being able to share that common thread with them, to not really understand what it was that they were going through. Sure, he had family out there somewhere- but they were the same family who had discarded him, viewed him as being trouble- a child without a mother that nobody wanted to deal with.

And his mother... he barely knew the first thing about her, not even her name.

"It's not that." Keith said finally. "It's just... everyone here has families. Maybe not _here_ , but that's- that's the problem, I guess. It's not that I _don't_ have anyone I'm worried about- I _do_ \- but it's... it's not the same. At least, I don't think it is."

Veronica nodded in understanding. "I think I get it."

They sat in silence for a bit longer, before Keith's gaze darted over towards her. "So... that time when we met in the coffee shop. Did you know about your brother then?"

"You mean the time when I said someone had shoved something up Admiral Sanda's ass?" Veronica asked. "No. But I had my suspicions."

Tilting his head, Keith curiously peered at her. "What tipped you off?"

It still seemed so _insane_ that the Galaxy Garrison could have kept something as important as the existence of alien life under wraps for so long. Instead of choosing to tell the truth, they had dragged an innocent man's reputation through the mud. He'd watched as Takashi Shirogane had gone from a celebrated pilot to a black spot on the Garrison's record nearly overnight.

"I'm an analyst." Veronica told him, pushing up the bridge of her glasses. "It's my job to pay attention to things, to observe. And what I saw just didn't add up."

"How so?" Keith asked.

"At first it was just a passing suspicion." Veronica said. "I knew they were covering up something about the so-called meteorite strike," she explained, forming air quotes around the words _meteorite strike_ , "-I just didn't know what. All I knew was that it was somehow connected to Lance's disappearance."

"Then I noticed that all of Pidge Gunderson's files had been purged from the database." She told him. "So I started to do some digging and found out that she was actually Katie Holt, Sam Holt's daughter, and that she had previously been banned from Garrison property."

Keith nodded. He remembered how distressed Colleen had been when Katie had run away. To think all this time she had been only half an hour away... he wondered what Colleen had felt when she'd figured that out. With Pidge Gunderson's face plastered over all the news channels, she was bound to put two and two together eventually.

To realize that she had been so close only after she had disappeared for real this time... he couldn't even imagine what it had been like, and he'd lost the only family he had. He had no idea how she had managed to hold it all together.

"That said, it wasn't until Commander Holt's broadcast that I figured it all out." Veronica told him. "I knew the Garrison knew _something_ about Lance's disappearance that they weren't telling us, I just couldn't figure out _what_."

"To be fair," Keith said, "-aliens are a little out of the left field."

Veronica snorted. "Tell me about it. I probably _never_ would have figured out on my own that my baby brother had been chosen by some kind of vaguely sentient mechanical cat and was now busy fighting off a ten thousand year old regime run by evil aliens."

"Yeah," Keith chuckled, "-that is a little hard to believe."

"So, what about you?" Veronica asked. "What's your opinion on aliens?"

Keith blinked. "I mean... I guess I always figured we weren't alone in the universe. But I never really gave it much thought before."

And now he couldn't _stop_ thinking about it. He wasn't stupid- maybe it had started as a joke, but even he had to admit that maybe the answers he was looking for had nothing to do with Earth. Maybe... maybe his mother, whoever she was, had never been human in the first place.

It sure would explain a lot about him.

It... also raised a lot of questions. Questions that he honestly wasn't entirely certain he wanted the answers too. His dad had been a _firefighter_. How could he have possibly ever met an alien?

"Honestly? Same here." Veronica admitted. "I know I work for a space exploration program and all, but humanity has been around for ages. I just figured that if there really _were_ aliens out there who were interested in us, they would have contacted us a long time ago."

"Well, I guess we at least know why that never happened now." Keith said. "Kind of makes you wish it had _stayed_ that way."

"You can say that again." Veronica said, already hauling herself back onto her feet. "So... you staying here? Adam and I saved you a space."

"I'm more comfortable here than with everyone else." Keith admitted, honestly a little touched by the fact that they'd even thought of him. "But thanks."

Veronica just shrugged. "Suit yourself. Just remember the offer's on the table."

He kind of expected more opposition, really. Back when he had still been in foster care, he'd dealt with plenty of people who had been resistant to the idea that he wanted to be left alone. Sometimes it was just because they thought it genuinely wasn't good for him, and others because they thought it would make them look bad- either way, he'd ended up having to deal with a lot of forced socialization.

At least, he did until he gained his _problem child_ label. That pretty much made those who had to deal with him almost grateful that he chose to self-isolate.

But he wasn't picking up any of that here. No- he was pretty sure Veronica was just respecting his choice, which was... _nice_ , actually. It wasn't like he was a total stranger to it- Tsuyoshi had never forced him to do anything he didn't want to, and neither had Colleen. It was just... they were usually the odd ones out.

He didn't think an _alien invasion_ of all things would be what helped him find more people like them. But maybe that was just how life worked for him. The only reason he'd ended up finding any stability in his life was because he'd gotten expelled for picking one fight too many. Without that, he might never have met Colleen.

Glancing up at Veronica, Keith frowned. He wasn't sure if the trade off was worth it.

"I hope you find them," he told her, "-your family, that is."

Veronica blinked, then smiled at him, one that carried a tinge of sadness to it. "Me too."

* * *

He was right about one thing- the dreams didn't stop. If anything, they just got _worse_.

He couldn't explain it. He could barely even remember their content. All he knew was that when he woke up, it would be hours later, way longer than he usually slept. He would feel lethargic, like he hadn't been sleeping at all, but instead had been wide awake, and yet somehow, he never actually felt _tired_ \- just a bit out of it.

He shook it off easily enough. It never seemed to effect him any while he was awake. But he still couldn't help worrying about it.

It was enough to throw him off. He'd kind of been planning to take his leave of the resistance as soon as he gathered enough intelligence to figure out where the Galra were and how to avoid them, but the dreams kind of threw that all to the wayside. Before he slept in short shifts, energized and ready to go even after only three or four hours, sometimes less, if necessary.

But now? Now he was sleeping for at least eight or nine hours- and while to anyone else, that might not seem strange, for him it was a serious cause for concern.

He couldn't even talk to anyone about it. About the dreams, sure, _maybe_ he could talk to Adam or Veronica about them, but even though they hadn't shown him any reason why he couldn't trust them, he was still loathe to tell them more than was necessary. Back when he was still in foster care, he'd been to enough sleep therapists to know that his sleeping habits weren't anywhere remotely close to normal.

Eventually, he'd just learned to fake it. He was enough of a medical oddity as it was already.

Maybe he should be _glad_ his sleep schedule was suddenly acting like that of a normal human's. But there was no reason for something that had been broken all his life to so suddenly and abruptly fix itself- so yeah, it was a cause for concern.

But he also didn't know what to _do_ about it. He knew it had to be related to the dreams, and he knew they had to be related to that weird magic circle in the blue lion's cavern, but beyond that, he had no clue what was causing all of this.

He wished he could at least _remember_ the dreams- at most, he woke with vague impressions. It was always the same- some kind of strange white field of nothingness, and the feeling of not quite being himself. It wasn't like he became someone different in them- at least, he didn't think he did- it was a lot more like he was just along for the ride.

Honestly? They sounded crazy.

So he just... kept it to himself. He'd be fine.

If something was wrong, he could figure it out on his own. That's how it had always worked. He didn't see any reason to change things now.

He'd be _fine_.

* * *

It was during one such dream that someone woke him. Groggy with sleep, all he could was stare up at the offending party, too disorientated to place them or even react. Then, finally-

"...Adam?"

Yawning, Keith pushed himself up into a sitting position. What time was it? Usually his internal clock was pretty solid, but this sudden change in his sleep patterns had completely thrown it off.

"Hey, kid." Adam offered him a faint smile. "About time you woke up."

Keith blinked, stating at him. "How long have you been-?"

"Off and on, for the past twenty minutes." Adam told him. "I figured you were just tired."

Keith grimaced. Adam had been trying to wake him up for twenty minutes? Usually he was a light sleeper, it shouldn't have been that hard to wake him up. That... worried him, more than a little. What if something happened while he was asleep, and they needed to move? Would they just leave him behind?

He shook off the thought. No. He didn't think they would do that. At least, he _hoped_ not.

"Yeah, tired." Keith told him, trying to act as casual as possible so that Adam didn't see how badly he was freaking out. "So... what is it? Are we changing locations?"

He didn't think so. It didn't seem _that_ urgent.

Adam gave him a slight frown, like he had noticed something was off, but didn't feel the need to push it. "No. Duane's looking for you."

Keith blinked, wondering what that could be about. "Yeah?"

He'd already told him everything he knew about the Galra- which wasn't much. Veronica and Adam had been a lot more helpful in that respect.

Adam nodded. "I told him I'd find you. Sounds like he wants you to be a part of a scouting group that's heading out today."

Keith perked up at that. Scouting? That meant doing something useful, right?

Hauling himself to his feet, he grabbed his jacket, tugging it on without another word. From underneath his bedroll he produced his knife, fixing the sheath back onto his belt.

Out of the corner of his eye, Adam blinked. "You... sleep with that under your bed?"

"Usually under a pillow, but," Keith shrugged, indicating the lack of one, "-yeah."

Adam arched his brows, staring curiously up at him. He ignored it, pawing at his hair to try and make it look a little more manageable. Maybe he should have remembered to bring a hair brush.

He didn't expect Adam to get it. Having the knife around made him feel more secure- or at least, it _had_. But old habits died hard, and for the longest time, he'd had to hide it just to ensure that he could keep it. Sometimes the best way to do that was to ensure it was close to him at all times.

He didn't know if he was grateful now or not that no one had ever found it. If they had, it would have surely been taken away from him. Maybe if he'd told them it was a family heirloom, they would have kept it for him until he turned eighteen, but he knew that things like that had a tendency to vanish into the system.

If he didn't have it... then maybe he wouldn't have half as many questions as he did now.

But maybe he'd be _dead_ , so... there was that, he guessed.

Now what once reminded him of his dad had just became a part of the bigger mystery that surrounded him. At nineteen years old, he didn't expect to find new questions to ask about himself- hell, he'd been hoping that he _wouldn't_. Being treated like a medical oddity and a freak throughout his childhood had been enough, any additional weirdness just seemed like overkill.

Duane had wanted to study it, but he'd adamantly refused. He seemed to understand, but... it still left him ill at ease. Even if his feelings towards it had changed, he didn't want to part with it.

It was a piece of his mystery, sure, but it was still a memento of his dad. He wouldn't hand that over to _anyone_.

"That... doesn't seem safe." Adam said finally.

Keith hummed. "Never hurt me before."

Adam just heaved a sigh, using his crutch to help prop himself up. He had an _actual_ crutch now- there had been a pair among the medical supplies. In the week since they had come here, it was obvious that Adam's leg was starting to improve, but he still had a long way to go before it was fully healed.

It frustrated him, Keith sensed.

Couldn't blame him. He'd broken his leg once in the third grade, and though his memories of the event were hazy, he'd distinctly recalled that it had sucked.

He _also_ recalled it healing in under two weeks. Adam's would take twice that. The flabbergasted expression on the face of the x-ray technician and the nervous expression on his dad's face were both pretty hard to forget. Looking back on it, he should have realized that something was odd- but how could he? He'd been a kid, and his dad had always tried so hard to make him feel _normal_.

Which meant he _knew_. He didn't know why that was hitting him _now_. _Of course_ his dad knew the reason why he was so weird. That wasn't new information.

He shook it off. It didn't matter.

"So... where can I find him?" Keith asked. "Duane?"

"He and a few others are gathering by the front of the warehouse." Adam looked at him with a deep frown. "But Keith, are you sure about this? Scouting missions are dangerous."

Keith shrugged. "I'm sure."

Adam stared at him, before heaving another long sigh. "Just promise me you'll be careful."

Keith blinked, tilting his head. "That's it?"

He kind of thought Adam would try and talk him out of it.

Adam's smile was a rueful one, full of regret. "The last time I tried to talk someone out of doing something dangerous, we had a huge fight and I ended up never seeing him again. I'm not doing that again. So if you really want to do this... I won't stop you."

"I do." Keith hurriedly said. "I need to be out there, Adam."

If there was something he could do... then he wanted to do it. Maybe his childhood tormenters had been right. Maybe he _was_ a freak. But if he was, he at least wanted to take that, and do something good with that. Earth was _his_ home too, and he wanted to defend it from the Galra just as much as anyone else did.

(Even if maybe, just _maybe_ , his mom hadn't been human.)

Maybe he _didn't_ have any family out there, like everyone else did. But his dad's grave was here. The shack was here.

That was reason enough.

"Okay." Adam said after a pause. "Just be careful."

There was a sincerity to his voice that touched him. He didn't think Adam cared that much about him- he thought he'd just been grateful that he had saved his life.

It almost made him feel guilty about keeping things from him. _Almost_.

"I will," Keith told him, "-I promise."

* * *

Scouting missions turned out to be _exhilarating_.

He took to them like a fish took to water. It shouldn't have come as a surprise- he was always at his best when adrenaline was pumping through his veins. If he didn't know any better, it was almost like he was born for this.

That wasn't to say that they always ended with combat. Most of them didn't. The whole point was to go unnoticed by the sentries, not to pick fights with them. Between his knife, and the stolen blaster he had taken from the first sentry he'd destroyed, they didn't exactly have a lot of weapons that were effective against the Galra. Anything else they had that was effective was the kind of stuff that had to be replaced- improvised explosives and chaff, which they could use to disable the sentries' visual capacity in a pinch.

Those had to be used sparingly. They were lucky enough that there was someone among the resistance who knew how to make explosives, but they were working on limited resources. They couldn't afford to waste them.

But they also wouldn't last very long if they didn't get their hands on some weapons. There was Veronica's pistol, the one that she had taken from the Garrison, but it wasn't exactly effective against the sentries. It still proved useful in a pinch- even if it couldn't damage them, it _could_ damage their surroundings, and even Galran sentries didn't stand a chance after being crushed by rubble.

But securing weapons meant actively fighting the Galra. The blasters the sentries carried were about the only things they knew of that could damage them.

You know- _other_ than his knife.

It was a huge risk. Too huge of a risk for Duane. They would instead focus on gathering intelligence, and would only engage with the sentries if they absolutely had to. If they did, then they would try and retrieve their blasters, but otherwise, it just wasn't worth the risk.

It chafed at him. He couldn't deny that there was a part of him that wanted to hurl himself into combat, to tear apart his enemies and fight until the bitter end. The Galra had a creed, one he'd learned from Veronica- _victory or death_.

It... fit him. He didn't know what to think about that.

So he didn't.

He didn't let the urge get the better of him- at least, most of the time. He wasn't the only one putting his neck on the line here- he couldn't put others at risk just because of some primal urge to pick fights with things that were bigger than him.

But if they still ended up in a fight in spite of that, he didn't hesitate to end it.

Unfortunately, that quickly earned him a reputation. Those looks, the ones he only thought he saw when he'd first arrived? He wasn't imagining them now.

He couldn't blame them. He'd never seen himself when he fought, but he knew that he had to look at least a little scary. He'd frightened people before- it was just... usually the ones who were spooked were the people he was fighting, not the people he was fighting _for_. But then he guessed he'd never exactly fought _for_ someone before either.

He tried to ignore it. He'd been doing it his entire life. It shouldn't be a problem.

Yet somehow, it was.

Before he knew it, there was a distance between him and the rest of the resistance. Nobody protested to being on the same scouting squad as him, but he suspected that was only because they knew how useful he was. Otherwise? People mostly avoided him.

But he heard the whispers, saw the stares. He hadn't set out to make people uncomfortable, but he guessed it was just the natural consequences of him being himself.

Striking out on his own was starting to sound more appealing, dreams aside.

At least Adam and Veronica were around- he didn't know what he would do if it weren't for them. Before he knew it, he'd gotten comfortable in their presence. Maybe it was just the knowledge that they didn't judge him for his oddities, even though he didn't exactly understand _why_. He kept expecting the other shoe to drop- for something to happen that would cause them to change their minds, for them to feel the pressure from the whispers and the stares and end up distancing him.

That would be fine. He was used to that too.

It just... didn't happen.

He couldn't put into words how grateful he was for that.

* * *

"Keith?"

"Huh?" Keith blinked, looking up at Veronica. "You're back?"

"No, this is my astral projection." Veronica told him, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I'm back. Brought you a present. Hold out your hands."

He frowned, but nevertheless did as she asked. She dropped a candy bar in them, winking. "Adam told me about your sweet tooth."

"Thanks." Keith said, not even hesitating to unwrap the bar. Pretty much all sweets on the base went to the little kids- and at nineteen, he was too old to qualify. "Supply run go well?"

"We should have enough food to last us for the next few months." Veronica assured him. "How'd your scouting mission go?"

Keith took a bite of the candy bar, chewing on it thoughtfully. "They're moving prisoners again. Another _shipment_ ," his nose crinkled at the word, "-came in today."

"Did you take photos?" Veronica asked, a hint of eagerness in her voice.

Keith nodded. It wasn't hard to guess what it was that Veronica was looking for- ever since the Galra had started to bring in more prisoners from outside Plaht City, she had been keeping an eye on them, hoping to find any trace of her family. "Last I checked, they were still being developed, but they should be done in an hour or so."

"You think they'd let me check the negatives?" Veronica asked.

Keith shrugged. "Don't see why not."

To his surprise, Veronica didn't turn to leave right away, like he thought she would. "Any chance you could come with me?"

Keith blinked, staring up at her. "Me?"

"Any other Keith Koganes here?" Veronica asked.

"God, I hope not." Keith muttered, momentarily not registering it as a joke. "I think my life is crazy enough as it is without a surprise twin."

Veronica just snorted- at which point, he realized that it _had_ been a joke. Ah well- at least she had taken his response as one. Could be worse.

Polishing off the candy bar, he licked the chocolate off his fingers, before getting to his feet. "I guess I could. It's not like I have anything else to do."

For the most part, he tried to stick to the little area he had staked out for himself. The only times he left were either to report for work, or get food or go the bathroom. Otherwise, he stayed by his hoverbike, away from the main gathering areas- that way nobody would bother him, and he wouldn't end up bothering anyone else. If someone really needed him, they knew where to find him.

Most of the time, they didn't.

But if Veronica was asking him... he guessed he didn't mind going with her. Maybe she needed the moral support, in case they weren't there.

Or in case they were.

He followed Veronica through the throng of people milling about in the main warehouse area. There were less now than when they had first arrived, nearly a month ago. They had started to spread out over the area, splitting off into smaller groups. They remained in contact with each other, using old radios that didn't depend on satellite connections.

Apparently, Sendak had destroyed those.

Through them, they had managed to gain a wealth of information- namely, that Plaht City was hardly the only place where the Galra were creating work camps. There were dozens of them, all across the country- but the one here was not only bigger and more expansive than the rest, but it was also split into two parts. From what they could tell, there was one group that mined for ore, while another group was working to build some kind of Galra structure.

It was impossible to tell what it was, since they had only just laid the foundations. A lot of theories had been floated out- maybe it was a weapon of some kind, or just a base. Maybe Sendak wanted to turn Earth into some kind of stronghold for the Fire of Purification. No one knew for sure.

Either way, early reports indicated it wasn't alone.

There might have been less people around now, but there were still plenty left to make him feel nervous. The hushed whispers that seemed to follow him wherever he went didn't help. Even now, when he wasn't even alone, he couldn't escape them.

Veronica caught them, tilting her head as she looked towards them. "Don't mind them."

Keith gave her a weak smile. "I don't."

"You sure?" Veronica asked. "It's okay if they bother you. I mean, you still shouldn't let them get to you, but-"

"It's okay," Keith cut her off, "-I get it. Thanks."

Veronica frowned, not totally satisfied with that. "For what it's worth, I think you're doing a great job."

Keith blinked, his smile growing slightly more genuine. "Thanks."

"I wish you be a _little_ more careful though." She added. "You nearly gave me a heart attack the other day, when you jumped into the line of fire like that."

Right. He forgot Veronica had been on that particular mission. Granted, she was making it sound way worse than it had actually been, but _still_.

Keith shrugged. "Hey, we got away because of it, right?"

"Still-"

"Look," Keith cut her off again, "-let's just focus on those negatives."

As far as he saw it, since he had the ability to take greater risks than most people, he should. There was nothing he could do to stop the whispering- but maybe if he at least fought as hard as he could for these people, then _maybe_ they would come around. As it was, they were tolerating him because he was useful, so if he could just take that, and improve upon it...

...well, he didn't exactly expect to make _friends_. But he at least wanted them to trust him a little more than they did now.

Veronica looked at him for a second longer, before she heaved a long sigh. "Fine. But next time you pull something like that, I'm telling Adam."

Keith flinched. It was amazing how much that sounded like an actual _threat_ , especially since Adam's leg was now almost completely healed. He still needed to stay off of it- right now was the time that carried the highest risk of him injuring it again, but in a week or two, he would be almost fully recovered.

"I'll be more careful." Keith hastily said. "So let's just... keep that our little secret."

Veronica arched her brows, looking almost vaguely amused. "So long as you promise."

"I do." Keith told her.

Apparently satisfied with that, Veronica beamed. The expression was short lived, as they ducked into the small section of the warehouse that had been curtained off to create an impromptu darkroom. It wasn't perfect, but it did the job. Film cameras had rapidly proven to be more useful than anything digital.

"Hey," Veronica greeted the person working, "-heard you got some photos of the latest prisoner transfer."

They lifted their head, for a moment looking past Veronica and at him. He averted his eyes, fixing them on the floor. There weren't enough light sources to cause them to reflect, but it was still dark enough in here to make him nervous. After a second, he felt them look away, back to Veronica, at which point he released a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.

"Looking for someone in particular?" They asked.

"My family." Veronica told them. "Could I take a look?"

"Be my guest." They said. "Just don't touch anything."

Peeking upwards, he watched as Veronica studied both the negatives and the already developed photographs alike. He didn't miss the fact that she had clasped her hands behind her back, just to show that she intended not to touch anything, and couldn't help but smile. He didn't know why, he just found it kind of funny.

"I don't-" Veronica abruptly stopped herself short. "Wait. Is that-?"

Squinting, she studied the developed photo closer. Keith looked up towards it too, able to make out the details a little better than she could in the dark. Veronica's attention appeared to be centered at a figure at the edge of the photo- a girl with dark skin, and long, poofy hair.

He remembered how she'd still had her head held high, even as the sentries had forced her along with the rest of the prisoners.

"Do you know her?" Keith asked.

"Know her?" Veronica echoed, looking almost stricken. "She's my _sister_."

* * *

Sendak was growing impatient.

It had been a phoeb now since the druid had arrived. A phoeb since he had promised to root out the Blade that was hiding on Earth.

As far as he could tell, it had been a phoeb of no progress. The Blade, on the other hand, had certainly been active- he had recovered several damaged sentries, all of whom had wounds that were indicative that luxite was used in their creation.

While they had yet to make any major moves, just their continued presence was nuisance enough. It was yet another annoyance- the humans were rapidly proving that although they were rather primitive, as a whole they were a stubborn lot.

He'd once told the Champion that he wished to one day go to his planet, to see if all of his kind had as much fight in them as he did. It would seem it was true. Even the populace that was underneath his direct command seemed to resist at any chance they got, as if they didn't know the meaning of fear.

It was fortunate he was in no hurry. There still had been no sign of Voltron, or of Lotor for months. He had time. Time to suppress their petty resistances and rebellions.

Macidus was also proving to be impossible to get a hold of. While he did not expect the druid to report to him as if he were a member of his command, _some_ updates would be appreciated. The last he had heard of the druid, he was following a lead that had taken him a considerable distance away from the area in which the Blade had been operating.

When he returned, he returned only with a request for a single prisoner transfer- and a request for said prisoner to be mixed in with a larger shipment. He had complied, but he was growing annoyed with the druid's silence.

Macidus had only claimed that she was bait. What the Blade could possibly want with a single human female, he did not know.

All he knew was that if by the end of this phoeb, Macidus had still produced no results, he would take the matter into his own hands.


	8. liberation or death

Chapter eight is finished! I actually finished it last night and got halfway through editing it, but ended up going to bed before I finished because it was late. Don't let the internet fool you kids, sleep is not for the weak! It is for the strong! It's good for you! Anyways I'll stop sounding like a PSA and say that I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! We're in for quite a ride next update, so hopefully everyone will look forward to it!

* * *

 **flicker**

 **chapter eight**

 **liberation or death**

* * *

"We _have_ to rescue her."

The ferocity in Veronica's voice surprised even Duane- or maybe he was just more shocked that she had stormed into the small room set off from the main warehouse that he used as an office. Probably both.

"Slow down there for a second." Duane said. "Rescue _who_?"

"My sister." Veronica told him, slamming down the photograph that she had taken from the developer. Without asking, he might add. "That's her. That's Rachel."

Duane frowned, glancing down at the photograph. "You're sure?"

"I think I'd recognize my own sister." Veronica said shortly.

Duane held his hands up in defeat. "Fair enough. This photo is from...?"

"Our recent scouting mission." Keith chimed in, causing Duane to jump a bit. He didn't blame him- he was half hidden by Veronica, so he probably hadn't even noticed he was there. "She was part of the new shipment of prisoners."

"Okay," Duane said, trying to process that, "-okay. I know how important this must be to you, but we can't just rush into this. We'll need a plan."

Veronica narrowed her eyes, searching his face for any hint of deception. "But we'll rescue her?"

"We'll rescue her." Duane promised. "We were planning on trying to free some of the workers anyways. We just need more information first."

Pulling away from the table, Veronica exhaled. "Information. We can get that."

"What _kind_ of information?" Keith asked.

"First, we'll need to figure out exactly where in the work camp she's being kept." Duane said. "We can concentrate our rescue efforts in that area."

"So we won't be able to free everyone?" Keith asked, narrowing his eyes.

Shaking his head, Duane's frown deepened. "Fraid not. I wish we could, but we just don't have the manpower for that kind of rescue effort. If we could get in touch with the Galaxy Garrison, maybe..."

"I take it securing a route there isn't going well." Veronica observed.

"No." Duane said. "The Galra have all but cemented their presence in the underground tunnel system now, and that's the safest way there. We might be able to send a small team through, but even if we just evacuated everyone in this camp alone, we'd still end up making too big of a target. I don't want to risk making such a massive exodus unless I know we can all arrive there safely."

"Our only other option is to figure out the timing of their aerial patrols, and approach the Garrison from the ground." Duane continued. "Until we figure that out, we're stuck."

Veronica grunted in frustration. "We can't stay here forever."

"Not planning on it." Duane told her. "If we're going to do this, we'll have to change our base of operations anyways. There's families here. We can't afford the Galra tracking us down."

"Do you have somewhere else in mind?" Keith asked.

"As a matter of fact," Duane said, "-I do."

* * *

"We think it used to be an old bomb shelter, back from World War Three. Probably for some rich executive types. Never used, of course."

"Well," Veronica said, gazing up towards the ceiling, "-guess its ours now."

Staring up at the ceiling himself, Keith couldn't help but wonder just how _big_ this place was. The warehouse they were in now was big, yeah, but this made that place look tiny by comparison. The ceiling alone was so high, that he couldn't imagine how anyone had ever managed to get up there to change a light bulb.

"So far as we can tell, the whole place operates on solar power." Jackson said, answering that question. "We've had our techs working to get it back up and running. Thankfully most of the solar panels are still intact."

"So... electricity?" Keith asked.

Jackson glanced towards him. "Electricity."

"Something I'll _never_ take for granted again." Veronica observed. "Sendak's really done hell to our electrical grid."

Keith just hummed. He'd gotten along just fine without it back at the shack, so he was kind of used to living off the grid. Somehow it never occurred to him that no one else was.

He and Veronica were part of a small unit that Duane had sent to check out the surroundings, lead by Jackson. Their goal wasn't to find a safe route from the current base to this one- previous scouts had already established a fairly Galra-free route which they would be able to use to access the underground bomb shelter that was to become their next base of operations. No, their goal was to find a safe route from the Galra encampment to said future base- or as safe a route as possible.

It was located even further out on the fringes than their current base. It would make getting to it difficult- there was an underground road that linked it to the city, but it had been damaged sometime during the initial assault and had been rendered inaccessible. Thankfully, they had found an alternate access point for their supply trucks, but it wasn't one they could afford compromising.

There were, however, foot tunnels. Several of them.

And that was their task today- finding out exactly where they lead.

"Veronica and Keith, you two take the east tunnels." Jackson said, snapping him back to reality. "Remember, use communications sparingly."

"Copy that." Veronica said, before nudging him with her elbow. "Looks like it's you and me again, kid."

Keith gave her a weak grin in reply. He was pretty sure the only reason he was constantly paired up with Veronica was because nobody else wanted to deal with him, but he wasn't about to say that out loud. He didn't want to make things any more tense than they already were.

"What?" Veronica grinned. "Not going to protest being called kid this time?"

"I know a lost cause when I see it." Keith said.

Veronica just snorted. "Just remember what I said about risks."

"Take 'em?" Keith asked, tilting his head.

Veronica shot him a glare, which he met with a slightly cheeky grin. It just deepened her glower. "I don't want to have to go back to Adam and explain why I let you die. So behave."

Keith just huffed. It was pretty easy to tell that Veronica was an older sister- even if that wasn't something he had any experience with himself. The most exposure he'd had to siblings was the one foster house where they already had two older children of their own, but he hadn't exactly stayed there very long- only about three months.

There were others, foster homes where they tried to pretend all the kids living their were siblings. But the less said about those houses, the better.

He'd thought about it sometimes though, in the depths of the night, when everyone else was asleep. That was back when he had still been naive enough to think he might be adopted- before the realization set in that decent grades and a heroic father that had made county news wasn't enough to counteract his bizarre medical records, lack of any information regarding his mother, and his growing anger management problems.

But the way Veronica treated him... sometimes it reminded him of that. Adam too, for that matter.

"Oh, so you'd just _let_ me die." Keith said. "Nice to know."

"If it was because you'd done something mind-numbingly idiotic?" Veronica asked. "Then yes. You're old enough to know better, mister. Consequences!"

"I thought you said I was just a kid." Keith countered, arching a brow.

Veronica quirked a faint grin. "You can be both. I mean, Lance is probably almost eighteen now and is out there fighting some dumb cosmic war, but I bet you anything that when he finally hauls his butt back here, mom's going to make him sit at the kid's table again."

Keith had to bite back his laughter. That was a reference he actually _got_.

Still... it amazed him sometimes, the way she could just joke about her family like that. They now knew that at least one of them was actively in danger- to say nothing of _Lance_ , who had gone missing with the rest of Voltron. That had to take a kind of resilience he might never be capable of.

Or maybe it was just how she coped.

He couldn't say. His own coping methods for dealing with the loss of his father hadn't exactly been the best. Which was to say, he _hadn't_ \- not unless you counted getting angry and lashing out as a coping method. By the time he'd calmed down somewhat, he'd probably sealed his own fate.

Nobody wanted an angry kid.

"You okay?" Veronica asked.

Keith blinked. His thoughts must have been showing on his face again. He'd been thinking a lot about his past lately- but somehow, he was always surprised when someone actually seemed to notice. Usually people just ignored it if they did.

"Yeah, fine," he lied, "-just thinking about some things. We should probably get started."

"You know, you can talk to me if there's something on your mind." Veronica said.

"Thanks." Keith said- and he meant that part, at least. "But I'm fine."

Veronica frowned, looking slightly unconvinced. In the end, she didn't push the issue, and he assumed that would be the last of it.

* * *

"I think something's bothering Keith."

Adam paused, his cup of soup hovering just in front of his mouth. Slowly lowering it, he looked curiously over towards Veronica. "You noticed too?"

"It's not exactly _hard_." Veronica pointed out. "You'd think someone who keeps to themselves that much would be more stoic."

Adam merely arched his brows in response, even if Veronica did have a point. He wasn't even sure if Keith was aware of just how much he let show on his face- especially if he didn't think anyone was watching.

"Any clues as to what?" Adam asked.

Veronica shook her head. "No idea. You?"

Adam hummed. "I think it has something to do with his sleeping habits."

Veronica blinked. Clearly that wasn't the answer she had been expecting. "I've actually been kind of envious of how deeply that kid sleeps. I feel like I haven't been able to sleep a wink since this whole invasion started, but he just conks out like a light and stays out. You're saying there's something wrong with that?"

"I don't know about _wrong_ , but," Adam frowned, staring into his cup of soup- the powder-based instant kind that didn't actually taste like anything, "-we lived together in that shack for about a week, so I had the chance to get decently familiar with his habits. I can't remember a time he _wasn't_ up before I was, even when he didn't have the early morning watch."

"So... he's sleeping more?" Veronica asked.

Adam nodded, taking a gulp of his soup, fighting the urge to make a face. At least it was better than Takashi's attempts at cooking. "I haven't been worried because he seems fine otherwise, but I think _he's_ worried about it."

Veronica hummed, crossing her arms in front of her as she leaned back against the pile of crates they were using as makeshift seating. She had already polished off her own soup in one big, disgusted gulp. "I'd say it has something to do with the unfamiliar surroundings, but that would probably cause him to sleep _less_ , not _more_."

"Mm," Adam hummed in agreement, "-I've tried asking about it, but he-"

"-keeps saying he's fine?" Veronica finished. "Yeah. That's starting to get a little annoying."

"I don't think Keith's _used_ to having people he can depend on." Adam offered. "He was living in a shack out in the middle of the desert, remember?"

"Hm, fair point." Veronica admitted, heaving a sigh. "I'm not sure if this is something we should just let him internalize, though. It can't _just_ be the shift in sleeping habits."

No, it probably wasn't. He had a theory about that too- and almost as if right on cue, just out of earshot, he picked up on the faint sound of hushed whispers. Lifting his head, he spotted Keith's mop of black hair from across the room, sticking out like a sore thumb even with that eye-catching red and white jacket of his tied around his waist for once.

Veronica grumbled, narrowing her eyes. "You know, I'm starting to get _real_ sick of this."

Adam huffed in agreement. Keith did a good job of pretending he didn't notice, but he had a sneaking suspicion that was only because he had ample amounts of practice.

It wasn't as if he had failed to notice that Keith was... well, a little odd. There was something _different_ about him, that much was for sure- it just never was too much of a cause for concern. He couldn't deny that he was _curious_ , but...

...but it just didn't seem to matter all that much in the long run. Keith was Keith. And Keith was a good- if not at times painfully awkward- kid. If his eyes reflected light weirdly sometimes or he fought with a little more ferocity than what was normal for someone his age, what did it matter?

He'd just forgotten that not everyone saw things the same way he did.

"He puts his neck on the line more than anyone else here." Veronica complained. "You think they could at least be a _little_ grateful."

Adam grimaced. As much as that was true, he wished Keith _wouldn't_ do that. He was _nineteen_. He shouldn't be fighting at all. Especially while all _he_ did was sit around and do nothing all day- or at least, nothing that dozens of other people couldn't already do.

He knew he just had to be patient. In time, his leg would heal. Once he got a clean bill of health, maybe he could join them out there. But it was getting so frustratingly close, that he was starting to get more than a little impatient. He hadn't been able to do anything during the initial invasion. He wanted to do something _now_.

If Takashi were here, he was sure he'd tell him that patience yielded focus.

He'd missed that. He missed _him_ , if he was being perfectly honest. But it seemed almost selfish of him to do so when he was the one who had driven them apart.

"They'll come around." Adam said.

Veronica just huffed. "They'd better."

Keith must have spotted them, because he was steadily weaving his way through the warehouse. He made it a point to look straight ahead, adamantly refusing to engage with the hushed whispers in any form. Some eyes lingered on him- others dropped downwards, instead focusing on the knife sheathed at his back.

The one that could rip through sentries like they were butter- and everything else, for that matter. That was one mystery that he didn't think even Keith had the answers to.

That seemed to bother him too.

"Is it okay if I sit with you?" Keith asked, still sounding a bit hesitant even after all this time.

"Sure," Adam smiled, not taking any offense at it, "-take a seat. Veronica and I would love some company."

"Would love some better soup too." Veronica muttered.

Keith just frowned, even as he took a seat, sitting crosslegged on the floor, his bowl of soup resting in his lap. "It's not that bad."

Up close, there was a thin sheen of sweat clinging to his skin, which Adam suspected was the reason why he was choosing to forgo his usual jacket. He didn't think Keith was part of any of the scouting missions today, so they must have had him performing manual labor instead. There were a lot of supplies that would have to be moved from this base to the new one.

He knew Keith was strong- he had to be, if he'd managed to haul him out of his damaged ship and down into the bunker- but sometimes it felt a little like he was being exploited. He didn't think Keith saw it that way though. All the kid wanted to do was help.

It made the distance between him and the rest of the resistance even more painful.

"You called the stew I made bland." Veronica pointed out. "And now you're calling this stuff _not bad_? I take offense to that, Keith."

Keith merely shrugged. "It's edible. That's all it needs to be."

Ah. That hurt him right in his cook's soul. It also reminded him way too much of Takashi, who before he had moved in with him, had subsisted seemingly entirely off of a combination of microwavable meals and Garrison rations. It had been the single most horrifying revelation in their entire relationship- and that _included_ his diagnosis.

(He wasn't counting the _abducted by hostile aliens_ reveal, since their relationship was long over by that point.)

"In the most generous possible use of the word, sure." Veronica said. "It's edible."

"When we get to the Garrison, I'm cooking you a good homecooked meal." Adam said. "Both of you."

"Not if my mom cooks you one first." Veronica challenged.

"Not if _I_ cook _her_ one first." Adam shot right back.

"I don't think cooking dinner is supposed to be a competition." Keith frowned, looking uncertain. "At least... I don't think?"

"Just a little joking around." Adam told him.

"Oh," Keith blinked, his frown deepening slightly as he looked up towards Veronica, "-so... do you really think you'll be able to find them? Your family, I mean."

"I want to believe that it's possible." Veronica said. "We know where Rachel is. It's just a matter of getting her out. With any luck, maybe she can lead me back to everyone else."

"Well... yeah." Keith said. "But what if it's not just her? What if they've been captured too?"

"Then we'll just have to figure out how to free them too." Veronica told him. She sounded confident, but he knew that underneath all that, she was probably worried sick about that very same possibility. "We're a family. We stick together, even when we're apart."

Keith ducked his head, and he could just faintly make out him mumbling, "-that sounds nice."

He wasn't the only one who heard it. Exchanging a glance with Veronica, Adam frowned. She bit her lip, looking properly sheepish- it wasn't like they ever forgot that Keith didn't have any family of his own- at least, not any family that actually _cared_ about him. It was just that with everything else there was to think about, sometimes it slipped to the wayside.

Especially since Keith himself rarely, if ever, brought it up.

"I'm sure they'd love to meet you." Veronica said, causing Keith to look up.

"You really think that?" Keith asked.

"You saved my life." Veronica told him. "I might not be here right now to help free Rachel if it weren't for you."

A faint pinkish tent crept its way onto Keith's cheeks. The way earnest praise flustered him should have been endearing, but Adam suspected it came from a nasty place.

"Well," Keith began, his voice slightly cracking, "-Adam's the one who had the idea to try the tunnels. You should be thanking him for sending me there."

"Sound logic." Veronica said. "Which means mom will _definitely_ have to treat the both of you to dinner once we're all back together at the Garrison."

Locking eyes with Veronica, Adam arched a brow. "Not if I treat all of you first."

Keith ducked his head again, but this time Adam could make out the faint edge of a smile to his lips. That was a little more like it.

He couldn't even pinpoint the exact moment he had gotten so attached to this kid. He just knew he had- and had done so hard.

Maybe if Takashi ever made it back- and maybe if they ever made up, which was definitely the bigger _if_ of the two- he'd ask him how he felt about adopting a kid. Maybe Keith was technically too old for that- but better late than never, right?

* * *

 _"See if you can-"_

Groggily blinking awake, for a tick, he wasn't even aware that he _was_ awake yet. Staring blankly up at the ceiling, he let his mind puzzle out what exactly a _tick_ was in that context before he was awake enough to start comprehending his surroundings again.

Pushing himself upright, Keith blankly stared straight ahead. There seemed to be a buzz of activity, and part of him suspected he knew why, but the rest of him was still too delirious from sleep to put it together. Yawning, he pinched one of his cheeks, using the sharp bite of pain to force away the last vestiges of sleep- and whatever weird dreams he was having that were causing all of this.

Right. Today was the day they were going to break into the Galra work camp to rescue Veronica's sister- and anyone else that they could grab on the way out.

Yawning, he stumbled to his feet. His cellphone battery had died two weeks ago, as much as he had been trying to preserve it, so he had no idea what time it was. And with his own internal clock thrown off as much as it was, he probably could have slept for three years and not even have noticed.

Obviously it was still early enough that nobody had come to wake him up. He'd be playing a vital part in this plan, so someone was bound to come looking for him if he slept in too late. Grabbing his knife from under his bedroll, he sheathed it at his waist, before he grabbed his jacket, tugging it on. Pretty much everyone who wasn't in some way involved with the rescue effort had moved to their new base- the only people who were left here were those who had a part in the plan.

The plan was simple- using explosives, they would have three separate groups create three separate distractions in three separate parts of town in hopes of drawing out the Galra. While gathering weapons hadn't been their priority, they had managed to stockpile a few stolen Galran blasters that should enable them to fight back- at least, long enough for them to pull off the main part of the plan.

The scouts had been able to identify exactly which part of the work camp Veronica's sister was being kept in. Thankfully, it wasn't that deep into the encampment, just on the fringes. They would wait for their shift in the mines to end- that was when they were most certain to be there, and then strike.

He and Veronica, along with a small truck, would break through the encampment and try to rescue as many people as they could, though their priority was still Rachel. Then they would leave, detonating chaff behind them in order to reduce the Galra's ability to track them. They had managed to find a route that was mostly below ground, so the Galra wouldn't be able to track them from the sky.

It should work. He saw no reason why it _shouldn't_ work.

It was risky, sure- but they had taken every precaution they could, had planned the entire thing out for almost a full month just so that they could reduce the amount of risk involved. If they were able to pull this off, not only would they strike their first concrete blow against the Galra, but they would also lay out a road map for other, future rescues.

Maybe freeing a few workers wouldn't do that much in the grand scheme of things. The Galra could always find replacements. But what it _would_ do was send a message- one that told Sendak and his Fire of Purification that humanity wasn't just going to roll over and die for him. They would fight, down to the last breath if necessary, for their freedom, and for the freedom of their planet- their _home_ \- as a whole.

Victory or death? Try _liberation_ or death.

"Oh, you're up."

Turning to look behind him, Keith offered Adam a weak smile. He'd refused to be evacuated ahead of time with everyone else- he said he wanted to stick around here until right before the operation began. He'd only leave after that, with another small group that had done the same.

"It's a big day. Can't exactly sleep in." Keith told him.

"Guess not." Adam said. "Thought I would come and collect your stuff."

Keith blinked, glancing down at his pack. Right. Somehow it hadn't dawned on him that he wouldn't be coming back for it once they left. Hastily rolling up his bedroll, he attached it to his pack, hesitating for a second before he passed it over to Adam. "You don't have to-"

Adam snatched it from him before he could even finish that sentence. "I think I've got this covered."

Keith blinked- before he let his shoulders slump, giving him a faint nod. If he trusted anyone with his things, it was Adam.

Oh. He didn't quite know why it had taken it this long to dawn on him, but he did, didn't he? Trust Adam, that was. It wasn't _just_ him either- he trusted Veronica too.

It was... weird, kind of. Normally, he didn't trust people that easily. It had taken him _months_ to trust Colleen, and he'd forged that bond with Adam and Veronica in half the time. Maybe there was just something about living through an alien invasion together that just made you trust people more.

It also made the fact that he was still keeping so much to himself sting all the more. But look- trust was one thing. Depending on other people? That was something entirely different.

"Thanks. I know you do." Keith told him.

"I'm just sorry about your bike." Adam said, glancing up towards it. "Wish we could save it."

Keith bit his lip, glancing up towards the hoverbike in question. They had mapped out a route, sure- but that was just for the _transport truck_. He and Veronica would split up from them while they made their escape, in hopes of attracting as much Galra attention as possible. Once they had distracted the Galra for long enough, they would use it as a bomb, and make their way through the wreckage of Plaht City on foot.

It didn't _have_ to be his hoverbike, he knew. It could have been any of their vehicles- they had amounted several, in addition to the transport trucks. But it was the fastest and most eye-catching- guess that's what he got for maintaining its paint job so well.

"It's fine." Keith lied. "There's no better way."

Adam looked at him a bit skeptically. "You know you can tell me if it's not."

Keith's shoulders slumped. Somehow Adam's ability to see right through him didn't surprise him as much as it should have. "It... used to by my dad's, actually. It was kept in storage for me until I was old enough to drive it."

Adam's face fell. "It- Keith, why didn't you say something sooner if it was that important to you?"

Keith just shook his head. "It's just an object."

His life was full of objects that he had been forced to leave behind. He was used to it. This one just happened to have more sentimental value attached to it than the rest. It just seemed stupid to try and cling to it when there were people's _lives_ at stake.

He could handle losing his hoverbike. Veronica couldn't handle losing her sister.

"And besides," he continued, "-I think if I was going to wreck his bike one day anyways, this is how my dad would have wanted it."

"Destroyed in a blow against an invading alien race." Adam said flatly, to which he could only helplessly shrug. He was pretty sure his dad knew about aliens, since he was suspecting more and more that his mom _was_ one. "Well, at least it's memorable."

"Memorable." Keith repeated. "I should probably find Duane and Veronica."

Adam nodded, shouldering his bag. His leg had fully healed by now, but it was lacking in muscle strength from weeks of disuse. He'd wanted to join them, but in the end, he'd been strongly advised against it.

It had to be eating away at him, Keith knew. At least... that was how _he_ would feel, if he were in that same situation. If it was anything like how useless he had felt by his dad's bedside, then he thought he could understand.

"I'll see you on the other side, Keith." Adam told him, sticking out his hand. "Don't do anything to get yourself killed between now and then."

Keith took his hand. "Don't plan on it. You stay safe too."

"My part's easy." Adam told him. "Yours isn't."

Adam's grip on his hand grew a bit tighter, and it dawned on him that he was worried about him. For a second, he was too overcome by the realization to even react, before he quickly shook it off, swallowing it back. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't touched, but he couldn't really afford to let himself get distracted this late in the game.

The idea that he might have someone to come _back_ to... it was nice, he decided. He'd nearly forgotten what it felt like.

"I'll come back." Keith told him. "I promise."

For a split second, Adam's expression darkened- and he wondered if that was the wrong thing to say. It didn't last, the pilot instead giving him a faint, if not strained smile instead. "You'd better."

"I will."

* * *

Adam watched Keith's retreating back with a sense of foreboding.

How couldn't he? He was knowingly sending the kid into danger, and there wasn't even anything he could do about it. It felt like Kerberos all over again, except this time, they actually knew just how dangerous the mission in question was.

None of them had known how dangerous Kerberos really was.

Heaving a sigh, Adam curled the fingers of his left hand into his palm, where it still retained some of Keith's body heat. The kid ran warm, like he'd been warmed by the desert sun. It made him think of Takashi in a way- except he hadn't run warm. The opposite, actually. His entire relationship with him, he'd put up with the man's ice cold hands, and had never once complained.

God, he even kind of missed those too now.

Dropping his hand, Adam shifted Keith's pack so that its strap sat more comfortably on his shoulder. He was just going to have to trust that Keith would come back- and hopefully in one piece. Just because he compared him to Takashi sometimes, didn't mean he had to go and lose an arm too. Or anything _else_ , for that matter.

He wished he could stop him, honestly. But if he'd learned one thing from Kerberos, it was that sometimes, if you loved someone, you had to learn to let them go. Not having that fight with Takashi wouldn't have changed the outcome of the Kerberos mission- but at least one of his last memories of him wouldn't be one of them breaking up.

Those months of mission prep... he could have had those with him. Instead, he'd split them apart needlessly, right when Takashi had needed the support most.

All he had wanted was for them to stay together for as long as possible, before Takashi's disease tore them apart. He thought that if Takashi left for Kerberos, it would only just put a severe dent in what short amount of time they had. Now Takashi was free of said disease- but it was also now going on _three years_ since they had seen each other.

At least if they hadn't fought, he could have a few months of that back.

But he couldn't change the past. None of them could. All they could do was strive to do better in the future- and right now, that meant making sure that Takashi- and all of the paladins- still had a planet to come back home to.

One hand straying down to his leg, he absently rubbed it where the bandages had once been. Maybe he couldn't join _this_ mission- but next time?

Next time, he would be right there with them.


	9. best laid plans

Here's the next chapter! Hope everyone enjoys, because I know I had a lot of fun writing this one. Also as a heads up, we've got people coming in starting Monday to work on renovating our kitchen. I don't really know if that will effect updates or not, but it's probably for the best that I just throw that out there in the off chance that it does.

Until next time!

* * *

 **flicker**

 **chapter nine**

 **best laid plans**

* * *

"You could've said no."

Snatching his hand away from his hoverbike, Keith glanced back towards Veronica. She wasn't looking at him, her attention still fixed on the work camp, but it was obvious enough what she meant.

"It's fine." Keith said quickly. She must have heard from Adam. "I can just get another one."

Veronica frowned, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes. She didn't look like she believed him, but she didn't press him. They all knew that a war like this involved sacrifices- better it not be a human one, if there had to be one at all.

"How's the camp?" Keith asked.

"No sign of activity yet." Veronica said. "But Rachel's group should be coming out soon."

Keith shifted uncomfortably on his feet. From their vantage point, he could make out figures milling around the work camp. Even without the advantage of Veronica's binoculars, he could make out whether they were human or sentry, but they were just a little too far away for even his eyesight to pick out which one was Veronica's sister.

Glancing behind him, Keith frowned. It must have been a family home once, their vantage point. Settled nicely on a hill, it overlooked Plaht City. Before the war, the view must have been amazing- now it was nothing but a sea of ruins.

It was just another reminder that everyone had lost something to this invasion. If he thought about it like that, it was only right that he lost something too.

"Hold on," Veronica said, "-I think I see movement."

Keith turned, squinting as if that would help him see better. He _could_ see movement- a group of probably female workers heading out from the main encampment. The fact that all but the most critical of prisoners were kept outside of it was a huge stroke of luck for them. It would have been a lot harder to break through the wall that circled it.

Stooping down by Veronica, he tried to assess the expression on her face, but he couldn't read it. She just seemed focused to him. "Can you see her?"

"No, I-" Veronica cut herself off, narrowing her eyes. "Wait. There she is."

He tried to follow Veronica's gaze, but the distance made it difficult. He followed the group with his eyes, watching as they were lead back into what passed as the residential sector of the work camp. It was little more than a city of hastily thrown up tents, meant only to protect them from the most basic of elements- aside from the heat, that was.

During his time with the scouts, he'd watched people drop like flies because of it. Out here in the desert, there was no escaping it.

As the last figure entered the tent, Veronica lowered her binoculars. She exchanged a brief, wordless glance with him, before she pulled out her radio. "They're in. Commence the operation."

At Veronica's cue, three explosions rocked the ruins of Plaht City, one right after another. Down in the encampment, he could already see the sentries taking notice. Soon, a number of them would be drawn away to check out the commotion, leaving dwindled numbers behind to guard those in the work camp. It was an obvious tactic, but sentries on their own didn't appear to be extremely smart- and thankfully, there weren't many actual Galra around the encampment.

"That's our cue." Veronica said. "You ready for this?"

Keith just flashed her a grin, trying to look confident. "I'm all in."

That seemed to be good enough for Veronica. Signaling to the transport truck lying in wait behind them, she positioned herself on the hoverbike, right behind him. He took a moment just to draw in a deep breath- before he gripped the controls of the bike tightly enough that his knuckles turned white. Before Veronica could say anything, they were streaking across the ruins of Plaht City, going too fast for any sentry patrol to stop them.

His father's hoverbike had always been built for speed, and he was making the most of it now. It went way faster than any commercially available hoverbike- though sometimes it still felt like it wasn't quite fast enough. There was something in his blood that almost seemed to _thrive_ off speed, like it was calling out to something- though whatever it was, it had never answered.

" _Christ_ , Keith," Veronica whispered, "-how have you managed to never crash this thing?"

Keith didn't answer, just grinned and sped up. He was going faster than the transport truck, but that was fine- by the time they had secured Rachel, it would have caught up. The work camp was in sight now, and he could make out a scattering of people, bold enough to step out of their tents and try to find out what was going on.

Rachel was one of them- he spotted her mop of brown hair from a distance. As they drew closer, he could see her squinting at the approaching hoverbike- and the transport truck barreling along behind it. She seemed to realize what was going on, and briefly ducked back into the tent, only to emerge mere seconds later with a cluster of women.

Figures Veronica's sister would be sharp.

By the time his hoverbike screeched to a halt in front of the tent, he was pretty sure everyone that had been gathered inside of it had come out. The tent was sizable, but there were a lot more people crammed in there than he thought could possibly fit- hinting at just how bad the living conditions were in the work camps, as if he didn't know that already.

Veronica all but leapt off the hoverbike, wasting no time in enveloping Rachel in a crushing embrace. For a second, Rachel just looked stunned- before she hugged her back, just not quite as tight.

"How did you find me?" Rachel asked.

"I've been working with the resistance in this area for over two months now." Veronica reported. "We saw your shipment come in."

"We're getting you out of here." Keith said- just as the transport truck barreled in behind them. "All of you."

The women all hesitated for a moment- probably afraid of Galra retribution. Then one by one, they all piled into the back of the truck, save for a few who didn't. They just stood there, eying the truck with obvious longing, but made no attempt to board it.

Veronica drew away from Rachel, looking at them with a frown. "Hurry up and get in. We don't have much longer before the sentries regroup and come after us."

"We can't." One of the women who lingered said. "They have our children."

Veronica's eyes narrowed. "Where are they keeping them? If they're close-"

Another woman shook her head, regret crossing her features. "They're on the other side of the camp."

Keith felt his heart sink. It wasn't hard to guess what that meant- that they had no way of getting to them, not without compromising the entire mission. They would have to leave them behind- but once the people they were being held hostage against were gone, the Galra wouldn't have any reason to keep them alive. So in spite of being offered their best- and possibly _only_ \- chance at freedom, these women- these _mothers_ \- had instead all decided to stay behind.

It just made him think of his own mother, a sour taste in his mouth as he thought about her. Whoever she had been, _whatever_ she had been- she had left him. _Abandoned_ him. It made him feel bitter, an ugly jealousy rising in the pit of his stomach that these kids were so lucky to have mothers who even in these terrible conditions, still refused to abandon their children.

He swallowed it back- there was _nothing_ enviable about this situation. The kids might still have their parents, but they were probably suffering even worse things than he'd ever experienced, even in the worst of his foster homes. Some of them were probably even younger than he had been when his father died- so no, there was nothing to be jealous or bitter about.

Veronica looked pained, but swallowed back any protests that she might have. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." One of the women said. "Just go."

Veronica nodded, moving stiffly towards the hoverbike. She slid on it- and before anyone could say anything, Rachel slipped on behind her. The hoverbike groaned at the weight of the third person- it wasn't even really meant to carry two people, much less _three_ \- but there was a fire in the younger McClain's eyes that told him there would be no convincing her to get on the truck with the others.

"Okay," Keith said softly, and then repeated it, louder, "-okay. Let's go."

His hoverbike protested a little at the addition of a third person- but after a few seconds of struggle, he got it airborne. Not a moment too soon, since the sentries were approaching them, fast- and were already firing. They were still too far out of range for anything to hit, but they were still close enough that every woman who hadn't boarded the truck was now scrambling back into the tent for cover.

Then they were off, following behind the transport truck, and then beside it. With the extra weight, he couldn't get the bike to go any faster, not unless he wanted to risk losing control. He was half tempted to go and ask someone to sit on the back end just so he'd have something to use as a counterbalance- but that wasn't exactly the safest thing to do when none of them were wearing a helmet and were going as fast as they were going.

 _He_ could probably survive falling off the bike at these speeds- he just didn't know about anyone else.

"So who's your friend?" Rachel's voice piped up over the sound of the whipping wind.

"This is Keith!" Veronica half-yelled. "Say hi, Keith!"

"Uh... hi?" Keith said, fully aware of how painfully awkward he sounded. "You're Rachel, right?"

"I hope so, otherwise we rescued the wrong person." Veronica quipped, which caused Rachel to snort. It took him a second to fully register it as a joke, before he snorted at it too.

They were coming up on the point where they would split up from the transport truck. Dimly, he became aware that Veronica must have detonated the chaff at some point, because most of the sentries they passed were just standing around, looking disorientated. It wouldn't last for long, he knew- but long enough to get the transport truck underground, where it would be much harder to track.

That would be phase one of the plan completed. Now all that was left was phase two- getting all the separate groups back to the base, hopefully alive and intact.

Which included them, Keith thought grimly, turning his hoverbike around a sharp corner, feeling it drag a little due to the extra weight. As planned, the transport truck went in another direction, and he could just make out it disappearing into an underground tunnel past the ruins of a destroyed skyscraper.

"We're not going with them?" Rachel shouted.

"We're the distraction!" Keith shouted back, probably not as loudly as he should have.

"Oh," Rachel's nose scrunched together, "-damn. If I'd known that, I would have gone with the truck."

"Gee Rachel, thanks for your support." Veronica remarked dryly.

"You're welcome!" Rachel chirped, though Keith was pretty sure she'd picked up on the sarcasm. She was just being sarcastic back.

Keith felt the edges of his lips curl into a smile, but it didn't last long. A shot sailed just over their heads, barely missing both them and the bike. Guess the sentries were back online.

"I'm gonna need some eyes behind me!" Keith yelled, as that first shot was joined by others. "Not to mention some covering fire!"

"Got you covered." Veronica said. He could feel her shifting a bit behind him, removing the heavy Galra blaster from where she'd strapped it to her back. "Feel like lending me a hand, Rachel?"

"I like the idea of not dying, so you can count on me." Rachel quickly agreed. "Remind me what the plan is again."

He almost opened his mouth to point out that she'd never been told what the plan was in the first place, so they couldn't _remind_ her, but he quickly snapped it shut. "We draw as much attention from the sentries as we possibly can, then we set off a bomb."

"Good plan!" Rachel said, then frowned. "Where's the bomb?"

"You're sitting on it!" Veronica yelled, firing the blaster with a surprising amount of accuracy given the circumstances. It hit the sentry she was aiming for dead on.

Out of the corner of his eye, he swore Rachel paled. "Oh."

"Regretting getting on with me now?" Veronica asked.

"Oh shut up." Rachel grumbled. "I was just glad to see you alive."

"Alive and kicking." Veronica reported. "What about everyone else? Are they-?"

"No." Rachel shook her head. "At least, I don't think so. We got separated. That's how I ended up with the Galra."

That brought a mixture of relief and concern to Veronica's face- but nobody had any time to say anything to it, since yet another group of sentries was approaching from one of the side streets. Even worse, there were drones now- and those pesky things were even more trouble than the sentries, even if they had a lot less firepower.

"I'll concentrate on the drones." Veronica informed them, already having shot one down. "Keith, you concentrate on getting to our exit point. Rachel, give us another set of eyes."

Keith just nodded, focusing all his attention on piloting his hoverbike. He half tuned Veronica and Rachel out, concentrating on navigating the ruined streets, just trying to get them safely to the exit point. He tensed a little thinking about it- once they got there, he would have to...

He shook the thought off. He'd already made his choice. No point second guessing it now.

Even with the extra weight, they were still making good time. They were probably also being a little _too_ effective at drawing attention to themselves. He was starting to regret his choice of paint jobs all over again. They barely had seconds after Rachel's warning to duck their heads after an incoming blast from one of the sentries came too close for comfort, though Veronica made short work of the one who'd made the lucky shot.

Still, they made it. Taking a sharp turn, Keith brought the hoverbike to a jerky stop that would have given them all whiplash if they weren't prepared for it. "We're here!"

Veronica nodded, grabbing Rachel's hand before she could say anything, yanking her off the hoverbike. Looking up at him, she narrowed her eyes. "Make sure you get off it in time."

"I will." Keith promised.

Taking in a deep breath, he turned the hoverbike back around. Turning back in his seat, he pried open one of the panels closest to him, and twisted the knob of the device that they had rigged beforehand. It fed directly into the gas line, and had enough power to turn the entire thing into a firebomb. He would have only two minutes before the whole thing blew, but that was time enough.

With what only could be described as a battle cry, he brought the hoverbike around. The sentries couldn't emote, but somehow it still felt like they'd been taken by surprise- long enough for them to stop firing, and long enough for him to switch the bike to autopilot, effectively sending it careening towards where the sentries had gathered. Leaping off the bike, he rolled as he hit the ground, covering his head just in time to escape the brunt of the explosion.

The sentries weren't so lucky.

Staggering to his feet, Keith couldn't help but look in the direction he'd sent the bike in. Even with the smoke, he could tell that there was nothing left of it- nothing that was worth salvaging, at least.

His father had left him it, and now it was gone.

Clenching his fists, he turned on his heels, forcing himself to run. He hoped his dad would be proud of him at least, even if he _had_ just destroyed his bike. It had been his pride and joy, and he remembered spending many afternoons just watching him tinker with it. He remembered how happy he'd been the first time he'd let him ride on it, how excited he'd been when his dad told him that it would be his someday.

At least he'd done it for a good cause.

He quickly rendezvoused with Veronica and Rachel, though they didn't stop to chat. They just kept moving, Veronica taking the lead. She was the one most familiar with the path that they would need to take to connect to the tunnel that lead to the former bomb shelter they were now using as their base. It lead to what had once been of the tallest skyscrapers in all of Plaht City, which had once been praised for its innovative design.

Now it was just another twisted hunk of metal blighting the skyline.

They made their way in silence to the base of the ruined building. They paused just across the street to let a small squadron of sentries go by, all while checking the sky for drone patrols. Thankfully, it seemed almost everything was converging on where they had been, and not where they were going.

He nodded at Veronica's hand signal, taking up the rear as they made their way across the street. Without thinking, he drew his knife, though he wasn't sure if it could deflect a shot from one of the sentries- he'd never tried. He had to sheath it again anyways, so they could crawl in where the front entrance had collapsed. Thankfully, the ground floors of the ruined skyscraper were still stable.

When it collapsed, it had broken in half, the momentum from the shot that destroyed it sending the upper section careening backwards- destroying everything in its wake as it fell. It was lucky for them- but not so much for anyone who had been underneath it that day. It had probably fallen slowly, leaving those in its path just enough time to curse their luck before they- _hopefully_ \- met their end.

There had never been any formal rescue efforts.

Once inside, they stopped to catch their breath- even he was feeling a little winded. The overall operation probably hadn't even taken that long, but it felt like it had been hours- guess it was just all that adrenaline running through his system, that was now slowly starting to fade.

"Let's get back to base." Veronica said.

Keith nodded. "Adam's probably worried."

Rachel arched her brows. "Who's Adam?"

"A friend from the Garrison." Veronica replied. "Come on. The tunnel's this way."

Rachel shrugged, falling into step behind her older sister. Keith felt the ghost of a smile touch his lips, before he fell into step behind her, once again bringing up the rear. Weaving their way through the destroyed lobby, they headed towards the basement stairs, which would bring them to the tunnel. From there they could-

His knife suddenly rang in warning. Pivoting on his heel, he barely drew it in time to block the incoming blast. Not well enough, the force of it throwing him off his feet, sending him hurtling to the other end of the lobby.

On the edge of his hearing, he could hear Veronica shouting his name, but it was like she was distant, far away. Groaning, he pulled himself up, slowly becoming aware that his knife was silent now, and that the ringing he heard was all in his ears. Barely any sunlight reached the interior of the building, but he could still make out light- weird, flickering purple light that crackled like electricity, that seemed to hover several feet away from him.

It was only once his vision began to focus, that he realized that there was a _person_ attached to them.

No, not a person, he thought, stumbling to his feet, knife still in hand. A Galra. Just not any Galra he'd ever seen.

They wore a dark colored robe, only their bandaged hands visible. A mask obscured the rest of their features, and slowly, he became aware that they were _floating_. He felt a shudder run down his spine, momentarily overcome by a sense of wrongness.

His knife pulsed in his hand.

"Keith!" Veronica called out again. She made to move towards him, and only then did the strange Galra seem to take an interest in her, raising their still crackling hand-

"Stay back!" Keith yelled, and the Galra paused, turning their focus back on him. "Just take Rachel and go!"

"But-!" Veronica protested.

"Just go!" Keith shouted. "I'll catch up with you if I can!"

Veronica hesitated, clearly torn, before Rachel grabbed her by the wrist, grimly shaking her head. She cast one last long look towards him, before the two of them disappeared down the basement stairs.

The Galra made no move to follow. For whatever reason, _he_ was the one it was interested in.

"So," the Galra spoke, startling him, "-the Blade causing the Commander so much trouble is merely a halfbreed."

Keith's brows knit together in confusion. Blade? Halfbreed? What were they saying?

The Galra tilted his head, and even though he couldn't see their face, somehow he knew he looked amused. "You don't know."

"Don't know what?" Keith snapped, the grip on his knife now tight enough to turn his knuckles white. Whatever this thing was, he didn't like it taunting him.

"About yourself." The Galra said simply. "About that blade you wield."

Keith tensed, his breath hitching in his throat. Just like that, it had stripped him down bare, laid out all of his insecurities for all the world to hear. Thankfully, that world was just the two of them right now. He just had to hope that this thing's interest _was_ solely in him, and that he wouldn't try and follow Veronica and Rachel down into the basement.

He didn't know what this thing was, but he knew they couldn't let it find their base.

"Who- _what_ are you?" Keith asked instead. "How did you find us?"

"I am Macidus. A druid in the service of the high priestess." The Galra- _Macidus_ \- plainly said, making it sound so simple, like he should _know_ this. "I knew you would come for the girl. The pressure suit your planet's military wears is... very recognizable, and they keep _very_ through records. I knew you were working alongside the Earthlings and their feeble resistance effort. It was just a matter of finding those with similar quintessence to your _friend_."

He didn't like the way Macidus said _friend_. It sounded like he was taunting him.

"What do you want with me?" Keith asked, slowly beginning to circle around. The druid followed him with his eyes, but made no move to do anything else.

"Commander Sendak requested I find the Blade stationed on this planet." Macidus replied. "But you're no Blade, are you?"

Keith narrowed his eyes, biting down any questions he might have. He desperately wanted to know who- and _what_ \- he was, but somehow he didn't like the idea of getting the answers from this guy. Even so, he committed his words to memory- _Blade_. He was- or at least, he was _supposed_ to be- a Blade. Whatever that was, his knife must mark him as one.

The knife he had gotten from his father. The one that he was starting to suspect wasn't actually his- but his mother's.

"Fascinating." Macidus said. "Were it not for the Blade, I would think you to be the halfbreed whelp of some deserter, but I think not. And for you to not even be aware of its meaning... tell me child," and he flinched at the way he said _child_ , "-what do you know of your parents?"

Deserter? Deserter from _what_? Even as he asked that, he had an uncomfortable feeling he already knew.

"Nothing that I'd tell you." Keith stated. His back was now flush against the stairs leading to the basement, where he took up a defensive position. Even if he tried to run, he was positive this druid would catch him. He needed to give Veronica and Rachel as much time as possible to get back to the base and warn them.

Which meant fighting it.

Gritting his teeth, he felt his blood beat in his ears. Part of him realized what a terrible idea that was, but the rest of him... the rest of him was almost _itching_ for the fight. He was no stranger to the feeling, but the druid's words had him questioning the source of it.

He hoped he was wrong. He just... didn't think so.

As if sensing his intentions, electricity once more crackled in the druid's hands. Something told him that wasn't a normal Galra thing- whatever a _druid_ was, the lightning bolts and the floating probably came part and parcel with it. Steeling himself, Keith raised his knife. If he was going to die, then at least he was going to die fighting.

Victory or death.

Lunging towards Macidus, he barely avoided the bolt of lightning that the druid hurled. He didn't stop to question how it was able to do that- he was dealing with _aliens_ here. It was pretty obvious that standard common sense wasn't going to imply. Maybe he'd question it later- _if_ he lived.

Propelling himself off the remains of the receptionist's desk, Keith threw himself at the floating figure, ready to strike down with his knife. It met empty air, like the druid had just vanished, forcing him to change his angle midair in order to land properly. Landing on his feet in a crouch, he held his knife in a defensive position. Frantically searching the lobby for any sign of the druid, he barely spotted Macidus' reappearance in time to block his lightning, his knife absorbing the brunt of it.

"I have orders to bring you to Commander Sendak alive." Macidus remarked. "Make it easy for yourself and surrender."

" _Never_." Keith spat, a growl that definitely wasn't human escaping from him.

Macidus merely hummed, before he suddenly teleported right in front of him. Keith yelped, growl broken off as he tried to step back, but Macidus was faster, grabbing his arm. He shivered, both because the druid's hand was ice cold and because the moment he'd touched him, that sense of wrongness he'd picked up on when he'd first appeared momentarily became almost overpowering.

But his right hand was free- and that was the one with the knife in it. In a final desperate attempt to get free, he slashed it upwards- but the druid caught that arm too, his grip even tighter than before. He swore he could hear him chuckle, the sound sending a shiver down his spine anew.

His last thought, as Macidus channeled a burst of electricity through his right arm, was that he hoped Veronica and Rachel had escaped.

* * *

She hadn't.

Veronica could only watch with horror as the thing that called itself a _druid_ caught Keith, the sound of his scream making her blood run cold. She'd shown Rachel where the tunnel was, but once she'd done that, she'd returned to the stairwell, just out of sight. Although they wouldn't be able to see her, she could still see them, her blaster at the ready for the best chance to intervene.

She hadn't even had a chance. Everything had happened so fast that there'd been no time to jump in, or even process what was being said.

Keith slumped in the druid's grasp, either unconscious or dead- hopefully just unconscious. His knife clattered to the ground next to him, slipping from his grip as Macidus released his own grip on his right arm, letting it hang limply by his side. He still dangled him from his left, pausing to check his vitals before he laid him out on the ground.

Macidus reached for Keith's knife, but just as his fingers brushed it, he hissed, recoiling from the blade. It almost seemed to _burn_ him, Veronica realized, feeling her heart pound in her ears. She was half paralyzed with fear, part of her wanting to retreat back to the relative safety of the tunnel, but the rest of her knew that she couldn't leave Keith here- no matter what he wanted.

How could she? He was just a kid, barely even a year older than Lance, and the same age as Rachel. She should be protecting _him_ , not the other way around.

Racking her brain, Veronica poured over her options. Somehow she doubted her blaster, stolen Galra weaponry thought it might be, would be very effective.

But she didn't _have_ to fight it, she realized. She just had to chase it away long enough to rescue Keith. Lowering her blaster, she glanced down at her waist, where a pair of flashbangs hung. Looking back up towards the druid, she watched him tear off a piece of his robe, using it to carefully pick up the fallen knife.

It was probably as distracted as it would get. Now or never.

Taking in a deep breath, Veronica prepared herself as best she could. There was no hesitation as she unhitched the flashbangs from her belt, completely abandoning her blaster in favor of yanking out the pins, hurling them back up the stairs and into the lobby. For a second, nothing happened- and then she had to look away, clamping her hands over her ears and shutting her eyes against the bright light that filled the room.

She could hear the sound of something screeching- an inhuman sound, like a high pitched shriek that was so high, her ears couldn't properly make them out. She could still hear it over the sound of the flashbangs, even with her ears blocked. As the light faded, she didn't even stop to check if they had worked- she'd be dead either way if they hadn't. Rushing the stairs, she burst into the lobby-

-and found it empty, save for Keith.

Exhaling, Veronica's shoulders slumped. She didn't relax for long, hurrying over to Keith's side. Stooping down next to him, she checked his pulse, feeling relief wash through her when she quickly found one. She didn't waste any time in pulling Keith into a fireman's carry, though she grunted a little at the effort- he was way heavier than his slender frame suggested.

She paused, the glint of something metal catching her eye. There was Keith's knife, still partially wrapped in the scrap of the druid's robe. Without thinking, she stooped down to grab it, hitching it to her belt where the flashbangs had been.

She didn't waste a second longer in the lobby, hurrying down the stairs to the basement and making for the tunnel. She left the blaster behind- she couldn't carry both it and Keith, and part of her was starting to doubt she could even carry Keith. She was by no means _weak_ , but she hadn't been kidding when she'd said the kid was heavy.

"Veronica!" Rachel called out- and it was with a shock that she realized her sister had been waiting right next to the tunnel. "Is he-?"

Veronica shook her head. "He's just unconscious."

"What about the-?" Rachel asked, nervously glancing back the way they had come.

"Gone." Veronica said. "Help me with him."

Rachel just nodded, pausing for only a second to seal the entrance to the tunnel behind them. Then she quickly made her way over to her side, helping her ease Keith off her shoulders. She grunted a little, crinkling her nose. "What does this kid eat, _rocks_?"

"Maybe he's just a big fan of milk. Strong bones." Veronica remarked. It was a little awkward, but they finally worked out how to carry him- she took his front end, with Rachel taking his legs. It would make progress down the tunnel slow going, but they didn't have the luxury of waiting until he woke up.

 _If_ he even woke up.

Sure enough, it _was_ slow going. She was just grateful that the tunnel didn't have any stairs, like some of the others that had branched out from the shelter. Still, by the time they reached the halfway mark, she was exhausted, her arms feeling akin to rubber. They should stop and rest, but she was uncertain if that was a good idea or not. Keith had just suffered some kind of electrical shock from an alien entity- it was blindingly obvious that he needed medical attention as quickly as possible.

His right arm was already starting to turn colors, easily visible under the tattered fabric of his jacket. What almost looked to be purple veins twined up the length of his arm, reminding her of Lichtenberg scars, fittingly enough. She'd almost pass them off as them, if it weren't for the fact that the color was wrong.

Said color made her think of something the druid had said, and that made her think of something _Sam_ had said- but she shook it off. Getting Keith help was more important than getting answers- even if she had the gnawing feeling that the latter might very well end up making the former more complicated.

"Veronica?"

She jerked her head around at the sound of the voice, then let her shoulders relax when she realized it was just Adam. He caught her gaze, then dropped it, his eyes falling on Keith's unconscious form. Instantly concerned, he closed the gap between them, hovering uncomfortably close in the narrow space of the tunnel.

"I came because you were taking- what happened?" Adam asked, two different sentences colliding together at once in his hurry to get some answers.

"Long story." Veronica said. "I'll tell it to you once we get to base. Did everyone else make it okay?"

"We lost someone from the B squad, but-" Adam shook his head, cutting himself off. "For the most part, yes."

"Good." Veronica nodded. One casualty was already too many, but she was grateful it wasn't any worse. "Thank you can give us a hand?"

At the mention of _us_ , Adam blinked, finally seeming to acknowledge Rachel. He just gave her a curt nod, before he crouched down on the floor. "I'll carry him."

"He's pretty heavy." Rachel grunted, even as they carefully lowered Keith to the floor. Veronica kept his back propped up, her aching shoulders relieved at the sudden absence of the heavy weight that had been dragging them down.

"I'll manage." Adam told her. "It's not that much farther now."

Veronica exchanged a glance with Rachel, who just shrugged her shoulders. Carefully, she helped Adam get Keith onto his back. Once he was sure he was secure, he slowly stood up, nearly stumbling at the unexpected amount of weight.

"Christ," Adam said, "-you weren't kidding."

"I could-"

"No, it's fine." Adam said, cutting her off, before taking a step forward and seemingly changing his mind. "Actually, maybe if you could just like... keep a hand on his back?"

"I think I can do that." Veronica said.

Carefully placing a hand up against Keith's back, they made their way down the rest of the tunnel. It was still slow going, but Adam was right- they didn't have much further to go. It wasn't long before they came out into the former bomb shelter, where an anxious Duane was already waiting for them. He took one look at Keith, and immediately called for one of the nurses still with them.

She watched as Keith and Adam were whisked away, before she collapsed onto her knees, exhaustion overcoming her. All she wanted to do was strip out of her pressure suit and change into something a little more comfortable, but she didn't even have the energy left to do that. It had been an exhausting day.

But at least she had her sister back.

* * *

Elsewhere, Macidus reformed, a half-muttered curse still on his lips. His eyes still felt as if they were burning from the sudden assault of light and his _ears_ \- they ran so loudly that he couldn't hear anything other than that accursed sound.

Clearly, it had been a mistake to underestimate the Earthling.

Collecting himself, the druid rose to his feet, already evaluating his next move. He'd expected to find a fully trained Blade, not a halfbreed with an unawakened knife. He was positive that Sendak would not take to the news well. There were many in the Galra Empire who loathed those of mixed blood, claiming that it made them weaker, less pure.

Macidus himself had no opinion on the matter. His master was not Zarkon, but Haggar- though Haggar had been growing more and more distant as of late. He had not seen her since she told him to deal with the Blade of Marmora on his own- a task he was almost itching to get back to.

Still, the halfbreed had managed to catch his attention, and he was not one to leave a task unfinished. He would capture him and bring him to Sendak, as requested, and would then depart- for he was the most powerful of the druids, and the Blades were nothing if not clever. That one of their number had managed to work in such close proximity to them without them ever suspecting a thing was proof of that- compared to Ulaz, Thace had been more of a... disappointment, he supposed.

Both were dead now. But so were many druids- no small number of which had been slain by Blades. Luxite was their bane, and he had no doubt that their ceremonial blades were crafted of that very same material due to this very reason.

His vision now clear, Macidus slinked down the hall. The Earthling might have forced him back this time- but it would not happen again. The halfbreed- _Keith_ , he had heard the Earthling refer to him as- he reminded him of someone. Perhaps an investigation would be in order.

Macidus smiled to himself. His plan might have failed this time, but next time... next time, he would be prepared.


	10. electric venom

Chapter ten is here! I'm immensely pleased with how it turned out, and had a great time writing it too. It just hit the sweet spot of revelations and found family for me... a glorious combination. Hopefully you like it as much as I do!

* * *

 **flicker**

 **chapter ten**

 **electric venom**

* * *

He had to be dreaming.

He knew that, but at the same time, it didn't feel that way. It didn't seem like the other dreams that he'd been having recently. The content was different- the pure field of white was gone, replaced by a vast expanse of stars, tinted a deep red.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been dreaming. It always felt that way, but now it was more so. He could only sort of recall what had happened before he'd fallen asleep- although _fallen asleep_ sounded wrong to him, somehow. _Fainted_ , maybe.

Yeah, that sounded better. He'd fainted.

He'd been fighting... something. His thoughts were blurry, fragmented. He knew he'd been fighting something, or someone, but he couldn't recall what or who. The sharp, burning pain that made up his right arm kept him from forgetting that much, and he felt a burning heat in his brow that reminded him of the fevers he'd used to get during his childhood.

He remembered how his dad would stay home from work, tending to him. How he would lay his hand over his brow, and it would be cool and rough, and how the sensation always somehow felt better than the damp towels he would use to try and keep his fever down. He used to think that he had magic powers, because whenever his fever broke, his dad's gentle hand would be right there on his brow.

There was a hand on his brow now, but it wasn't his father's. It was calloused, just like his had been, but differently- and the touch was more delicate too. But the hand was just as cool, and he could feel his fever ebbing away, taking the sharp pain in his right arm with it. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it felt like it had been awhile.

"That should take care of the worst of it." It was a woman who spoke, her voice regal, yet soft. "You should consider yourself lucky. Druids are not to be trifled with."

Keith groaned, wanting to protest that he hadn't been trifling with anything. He opened his eyes, trying to focus on the face that was hovering over him, but couldn't- all he could make out was an ethereal silhouette, one belonging to a woman with long hair.

Strangely, he felt like he knew her.

"You must have questions." She said. "I do as well. But I think we are nearly out of time."

Keith opened his mouth to say something, to ask who she was- only to open his eyes again, though he was certain he hadn't closed them. There was still a woman's face hovering over him, with long and fluffy hair, but he instinctively knew they weren't the same person. Turning his head, he tried to remember where he was, and why there was so much _noise_.

"Keith!"

Oh. He knew those voices.

Turning his head again, Keith frowned, his dream already starting to fade from his memory. Two more faces had joined those of the fluffy haired woman- or girl, he realized- she was the same age as him. It took him a second to place the three of them, but when he did, awareness come back to him in a snap.

"Adam?" Keith asked, noticing how dry his throat was. "Veronica? What's-?"

"Don't talk too much yet." Adam scolded him. "Veronica, the water."

Veronica nodded, scrambling for a plastic water bottle. She opened it up, pouring a small amount of its contents into a plastic cup. Adam was already using his arm to prop him up into a sitting position, and when he was done, Veronica carefully helped him grip the cup and lift it to his mouth. He didn't protest any of this, instinctively sensing that he wasn't in great shape.

The water helped, a little. His throat was parched, but he didn't feel dehydrated. Turning his head a bit more, he noticed that there was an IV stuck into his left arm. Following it up, he made note of the bag of fluids it was attached to. Some part of him that was more awake than the rest remembered that they had a small supply of fluid bags, and instantly felt guilty about having to use any of it up.

That same part of him also noticed the fact that he had to turn his head a lot more than he should have to see any of these things. He was only seeing out of one eye, he realized. With a slight frown, he touched his right eye, noting that it was covered in bandages- and that said bandages seemed to extend down this entire right arm.

"Just a precaution." Adam told him, almost carefully. "There's some bad scarring."

Keith frowned, not sure why there would be scars. Had something gone wrong with the mission? Had he gotten caught up in the explosion of his hoverbike?

"Do you remember what happened?" Veronica cautiously asked.

Keith opened his mouth to speak, then shut it. Drawing his brows together, he tried to think back. He'd been taking part in a rescue operation with Veronica, to save her sister Rachel, and then...

"The druid!" Keith yelled, it all coming back to him in a flash. "What happened to the-?"

"I chased it away." Veronica told him. "Rachel and I brought you back to base."

Keith relaxed a bit, exhaling. Adam rested a gentle hand on his shoulder, while he used his other to put a pillow between him and the wall. They were tucked away in one corner of the base, a thin gauze curtain separating them from the rest of it- though he could still hear people milling about outside of it, and could faintly pick out their shapes. They had all frozen when he'd shouted, but were now resuming their activities.

He was lying on a bedroll- _his_ bedroll, he recognized. His usual black t-shirt was gone, replaced by one of the spare gray ones he'd brought along with him. His jacket probably was a lost cause, since he didn't see it anywhere. His belongings were gathered in one corner, his knife, its hilt still wrapped, sitting on top of his pack.

He tried not to think about what the druid had told him.

"Oh," Keith finally said, "-thanks."

Veronica and Adam exchanged a glance, before the latter withdrew his hand. "I should probably let Duane know you woke up. And maybe find you some food."

Keith nodded, watching as Adam ducked outside. Turning back towards Veronica, and Rachel, who hovered in the background, he frowned. "So... what aren't you telling me?"

Veronica huffed. "You noticed, huh?"

"I'm not stupid." Keith said flatly.

"No, you're not." Veronica said. "You've been asleep for a month, Keith."

Keith swallowed, letting her words sink in. He felt somehow distant from them, like he hadn't fully processed what she'd said yet. "Oh."

"You had a bad fever for most of it." Veronica explained. "It finally broke this morning."

"The three of us have been watching you in shifts." Rachel supplied. "But we thought your fever breaking might be a sign that you were about to wake up, so we all hung around today just in case."

Keith frowned. "Didn't Duane need you?"

"Duane can go without us for one day." Veronica said. "How are you feeling?"

"I've felt better." Keith observed. "But considering I was electrocuted by some kind of floating alien sorcerer... better than I could be, I guess."

"Good to hear it." Veronica said, the edge of her lips quirking into a faint grin.

Keith smiled back, before he turned his focus onto his right arm. It still felt a little numb, but his fingers moved when he wanted them to, so that was probably a good sign. He wondered how bad the scarring was, and if there had been any permanent damage to his right eye. He hoped not.

"Adam should also be getting the nurse." Veronica said lightly.

Keith nodded, still focused on moving his arm. It felt sluggish, but so did the rest of him. It was probably just from being in a coma for a month. He'd recover.

He always did heal quick.

He tensed, the druid's almost taunting words coming back to him. He didn't want to think about them, and what they could mean. He'd been ready to face the prospect that his mother might not have been human, but he wasn't ready to face the prospect that she might be _Galra_.

There wasn't much else he could take from that deserter comment. Some part of him still held out hope that he was wrong, but he didn't think so.

"Veronica, I-"

"Ah, good to see you finally awake!"

Keith snapped his mouth shut, looking up towards Duane. His right hand involuntarily curled into a fist, wondering how much he had been told. He was suddenly keenly aware that he didn't belong here. He'd always felt that way, but knowing that he might have Galra blood running through his veins only made the feeling of alienation that much more intense.

"How are you feeling?" Duane asked. "You gave us all quite the fright."

"I'm fine." Keith said. "Sorry."

"We brought the nurse." Adam told him, giving him a weak smile as he motioned towards the room hovering just behind them. "And some soup, if you're feeling up to it."

His stomach growled, and Keith felt his cheeks heat up. Ducking his head, he gave Adam a small nod. "A little."

"Just make sure to eat slow." Adam warned him, setting the tray of soup down in his lap. "Are you sure you'll be alright with...?"

"I'm ambidextrous." Keith said. "I'll be fine."

Adam just nodded. "The nurse will check you out when you're done eating."

Keith looked up, his eyes darting towards the nurse in question. She wasn't the same one who had helped treat Adam's broken leg- but he did recognize her. She eyed him somewhat warily, but he forced himself to smile. She returned it, though hers was undeniably strained.

He took his first few sips of soup in silence, turning over what he should do in his head. Putting aside the possibility of him being part Galra, the druid had obviously been after him. As long as he stayed here, he ran the risk of putting the resistance and everyone in it in danger. He quickly decided that as soon as he felt like he could, he'd strike out on his own, like he had planned to from the beginning.

These were good people. They were wary of him, sure, but he'd given them plenty of reason to be. He couldn't put them in harm's way.

"Veronica says I've been asleep for a month." Keith began. "Is that true?"

Adam winced. "Close enough."

Keith nodded, looking up at Duane. "So... what have I missed?"

"We found a secure route to the Garrison." Duane said. "We'll move out in about a month's time."

Keith felt himself exhale. That was good news. Once they were in the Garrison, they would be safe. It only cemented the fact that he couldn't come with them though- if the druid could teleport, what was to stop it from just teleporting past the Garrison's particle barrier? The Galaxy Garrison was the last hope Earth had- he couldn't put that all at risk.

He would have to deal with the druid himself.

"Thankfully, we've managed to avoid any run-ins with that thing that attacked you." Duane said. "Sounds like a right nasty bugger. You're lucky to be alive."

Keith flinched. He knew there was no way Veronica hadn't told Duane about the druid, but he'd kind of been hoping that she hadn't. It didn't mean she'd told him about anything that she might have overheard- and he was willing to bet she'd overheard _something_ \- but he still didn't like the idea of him knowing about it.

He recognized it as selfish. The resistance _needed_ to know about the druid. He wasn't so stupid that he couldn't see how dangerous it was- that was _why_ he was leaving.

"Yeah," Keith said, ducking his head so that his good eye was hidden behind his bangs, "-guess I am."

That left them all in a slightly awkward silence, before Veronica broke it. "We managed to find my family, you know."

Keith looked up, nearly dropping his spoon in the process. "You did?"

Veronica nodded. "We tracked them down based off of Rachel's memory. Thankfully, aside from her, the Galra hadn't captured any of them."

"We're just lucky they decided to stay put." Rachel noted.

Keith frowned. From the sound of it, the only reason that Rachel had been put in that camp was so that they would come rescue her. What if it wasn't just coincidence that the Galra had her? What if she and her family had been attacked by the Galra because of him? He didn't know if he could live with that if it was true.

Why was the druid so interested in him anyways? He said he was trying to track down something called a Blade, and that his knife made him one... but what exactly _was_ a Blade? Were they Galra? Macidus sure made it _sound_ like it.

Sighing, Keith set down his spoon in the bowl, pushing it away. "I think I'm full."

It was an obvious lie, but it was true that he had kind of lost his appetite. He needed to have a serious talk with Veronica, and he couldn't do that with Duane and the nurse here. If he really _was_ at fault for her family being put in danger, then he needed to know.

"Are you sure?" Adam asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah," Keith gave him a weak smile, "-I'm sure."

Adam frowned, but didn't challenge it. He just took the bowl of soup away, setting it aside for the time being. He wondered how much Veronica had told him- probably more than she had told Duane, if he was reading the mood right, which was a big _if_.

The nurse shifted on her feet, seemingly realizing that it was her turn. He tried to recall what her name was as she motioned for him to raise his right arm. Julie? Julia? July? He was sure it was one of those, he just couldn't remember which. He'd never been great with names.

"Just so you know," Adam warned, "-it looks pretty bad."

Keith just nodded, watching as the nurse carefully began to remove the bandages from his right arm. The scarring was the worst around his wrist, where the druid had grabbed him, but they didn't stop there, traveling up the length of his right arm in an almost intricate, lace-like pattern. But there was nothing delicate about the scarring- they looked nasty, having turned an unnatural purple color, starkly standing out against his pale skin.

Someone placed a hand on his knee. Looking up, he met Veronica's eyes. She gave him a reassuring smile, squeezing his knee a bit tighter.

"For what it's worth," she said, "-it apparently looks worse than it actually is."

Keith just nodded, trying not to let any of his anxieties show on his face. The purple reminded him too much of the Galra that he sometimes saw patrolling the work camp, and combined with the druid's words, it just made him feel ill at ease. He didn't _want_ it to be true. If it were, it felt like it would just be confirmation of what everyone had thought about him all along.

Violent. Aggressive. Someone who didn't belong.

The nurse finished with his right arm, stepping back to give him some space. He flexed it, the arm still feeling a bit sluggish, but it wasn't painful, at least. He was no stranger to scars- he had several, too many of which had come from foster homes he'd been in, though not all. But at least those weren't _purple_ , like these were. Even worse, they seemed nearly fully healed- so while the intensity of the purple might eventually fade somewhat, they would likely always remain that color.

Suddenly he understood why the nurse looked so wary of him.

"How does it feel?" She asked, her tone purely clinical.

"It's kind of sluggish." Keith replied. "But otherwise fine."

"No pain?" She asked.

Keith just shook his head. "Just kind of numb, mostly."

"Is that bad?" Adam asked.

"He can move it." The nurse honestly answered. No matter how wary she was of her patient, she was still clearly devoted to doing her job correctly. "So he clearly still has full control of the limb. The numbness is concerning, but it may fade with time."

Adam heaved a sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping. Frowning, Keith looked up at him. He almost reminded him of his dad- he'd fretted almost non-stop the entire time after he'd broken his leg. He swallowed, unsure what to make of that- or if he should even let himself make anything of it. If Adam knew what he was...

He tried to force the thought away. Even _he_ didn't know what he was. For all he knew, the druid might have just been saying those things to get to him.

But why bother? He was a nobody. Sure, he'd destroyed a few sentries, but in the grand scheme of things, he wasn't anyone important. Why go through all the effort of dropping a bunch of elusive hints if he wasn't telling the truth?

Staring down at his hand, he turned it over. At least with his gloves on, nobody would be able to see the worst of the scarring around his wrist. He'd have to find a new jacket, or at least a long sleeved shirt- somehow he didn't think short sleeves were going to be a good look for him any longer.

The nurse shuffled a bit closer to him, moving from the bandages around his arm, to the ones wrapped around his head. He let her carefully unwind them, waiting until he was sure the last bandage was off before he attempted to open his right eye. He instantly regretted it, slamming it shut against the light- they must have gotten the solar panels working, he realized, since the electric lights were apparently all working.

A little _too_ well, he thought, carefully cracking his right eye open, much slower this time. Once he was confident the light wouldn't blind him, he blinked several times, clearing out any lingering spots in his vision. Thankfully, his worries about being half-blind were for naught- his vision seemed fine. _Better_ , actually.

Good enough to notice the way everyone tensed when he opened his eye.

"Keith?" Adam carefully began. "Can you- can you see?"

Keith nodded slowly, trying not to let his fear show. "Yeah, just fine. Why do you ask?"

Adam and Veronica exchanged another look, the latter of whom looked back towards Rachel. She jumped, startled like she was coming out of a stupor, and went digging into her pockets for a hand mirror, which she passed to her sister. Veronica passed it to Adam, who in turn passed it to him. He frowned, taking it carefully, half dreading what he might find.

The scarring didn't end at his right shoulder, but instead had crept up the right side of his neck, before coming to a dead stop at his right eye. At the sight of it, he swallowed hard, Keith feeling as if the worst of his fears had come to fruition.

His sclera had turned a sickly shade of yellow- the same color as old paper. His pupil was also yellow, only much brighter, save for a few flecks of blue-purple that surrounded his iris like a halo. He shuddered, dropping the hand mirror and closing both eyes.

This couldn't be real. It couldn't.

Yet when he opened his eyes again, his right eye hadn't changed. It was still yellow.

"We'll figure this out." Adam assured him, awkwardly resting a hand on his shoulder. "You got blasted by alien energy. This could just be a side effect."

Oh, it was a side effect alright. But it hadn't _done_ anything to him- it was just showing what was there all along.

He was Galra.

* * *

A heavy silence settled over their little group after Duane and Julie left. Rachel had gone with them, ostensibly to check in with the rest of her family, but actually just to make sure that they all had a little bit of privacy. Adam reminded himself to thank her later- privacy could be pretty hard to find around here.

Keith refused to look at them, instead staring down at his right hand. He kept clenching and unclenching his fist, his gaze hard. Julie had left the bandages off for the moment, to see how he would do without them, but he nearly wished she'd put them back on, for Keith's sake. Adam wasn't sure what was going through his mind, but he doubted that any of it was pleasant.

"You shouldn't strain it." Adam told him.

Keith said nothing, but he did stop, letting his right arm rest limply by his side. The scars marred what was otherwise an attractive face, the purple too visible to conceal.

"It was after me." Keith finally said.

"Keith..." Adam began.

"I can't stay here." Keith said, cutting him off.

"What?" Adam asked, alarmed. "Keith, you can't leave."

"You don't understand. I _have_ to leave." Keith insisted, half-glaring up towards him. The odd yellow eye only managed to make his gaze more intense than it usually was. "It was after me. That means as long as I'm here, I'm putting all of you in danger."

"In case you didn't notice," Veronica cut in, "-you're in no condition to do that."

Keith huffed, seemingly willing to admit she had a point. He stared at the floor, in a way that reminded him of a sulking child. "Maybe. But I can't go with you to the Garrison."

"The Garrison has-"

"A particle barrier, I know." Keith said. "But the druid can teleport. Who's to say this particle barrier or whatever can stop that? Until Voltron comes, the Garrison is all we have. I can't- I _won't_ \- put that at risk. I'm not going."

He crossed his arms as he said that, unconsciously or perhaps consciously tucking his right hand out of sight. He still didn't look up, keeping his gaze fixed on the ground, and Adam realized that he wasn't so much avoiding looking at them, as he was trying to hide his right eye.

He wished he wouldn't. It was tough to look at, and reminded him too keenly of the invaders they were fighting against, but this was _Keith_.

His own gaze fell on Keith's knife, settled harmlessly on his pack. Veronica had passed on to him what she'd overheard the druid say, once they were both certain there was no one around to hear. Keith might not have understood what the druid had told him, but he did. In addition to giving them all the rundown on Voltron, Sam had also debriefed them on Voltron's numerous allies- including a group known as the Blade of Marmora.

Suddenly he understood why his knife was so effective against sentries.

Just... not anything else. Keith didn't _look_ Galra- or at least, he _hadn't_. The purple scarring he could write off as a side effect, but it was pretty hard to explain away the yellow eye.

But Keith was also... obviously not normal. There was no getting around it. Like a cog that only partially fit in with what was expected of humans. Being half alien, as absurd as that sounded, _would_ explain a few things. Considering their planet was currently in the process of being invaded by aliens, he might have even accepted it without a second thought- if it weren't for the fact that the alien blood he possessed was most likely Galran.

And Keith knew it, too. Maybe not before- but something the druid had said had clued him in, even if he didn't know what a Blade was.

"No." Adam said firmly, so firmly that he nearly surprised himself. "No. You're coming to the Garrison with us."

Keith frowned, glancing up at him so that only his left eye was actually visible. "But the druid-"

"We'll find a way to deal with the druid." Adam said.

Keith snorted. "You can only say that because you weren't there."

"I'm with Adam on this one." Veronica said. "We can't just let you go off into danger on your own, Keith. We have a month. If we just put our heads together, I'm sure we can think of a way to defeat the druid."

Keith grit his teeth, then winced, having dug his fingers into his right arm, right where the scarring was. A tiny pinprick of blood welled up, but thankfully didn't get any worse. Dropping his arms to his sides, Keith settled for tightly clenching his left fist instead, using his right to dig into the fabric of his bedroll.

"Keith-" Adam began.

Keith didn't let him finish. "Don't you get it? The whole reason the druid even came for me in the first place is because I'm-"

"Stop." Veronica cut him off, just shy of actually covering his mouth with her hand. "Don't finish that sentence."

"But it's true, isn't it?" Keith asked, all anger washing out of his voice and leaving it barely as a whisper. "That I'm Galra."

The world briefly felt like it had fallen silent around them, Adam keenly aware that he was straining his ears, subconsciously listening to see if anyone had managed to overhear that. Keith had spoken so quietly, that he didn't think anyone had, but in a place like this, one could never be too careful.

The number of people around here who weren't wild about Keith was too large already. He didn't need to give them any further ammo.

"I don't know." Veronica finally said. "All I know is that the only Blade I know of is the Blade of Marmora, and that they're supposedly a Galran resistance group."

Keith didn't say anything, but Adam watched as his mouth worked, silently sounding out the words. Reaching over towards his pack, he picked up his knife, gingerly resting it in his lap before he began the silent work of unwrapping the bandages from around its hilt. He had never seen it without them- at first, he thought they were there for added grip, but now he realized that they were there to hide something.

Once they were gone, a glowing emblem blazed purple against the knife's hilt. It wasn't one he recognized, but he didn't really need to.

"My dad left me this knife when he died." Keith said, his gaze fixed squarely on the hilt. "He said it was important."

Adam exchanged a look with Veronica, uncertainty reflected in her eyes. He had been turning it over in his head for the entire month, but he hadn't quite been able to settle on how he felt about the prospect that Keith might be somehow related to the Galra. Now that he was faced with undeniable evidence of it, he knew he had to come to a conclusion- and fast.

The Galra had taken Takashi away from him- but then, he'd already pushed Takashi away, all by himself. The Galra weren't to blame for _that_.

Nor was Keith. Everything he knew about him suggested that while he was aware that he wasn't exactly normal, he also didn't know _why_. This was just as much a revelation for him as it was for them- and he'd been given a lot less time to digest the information than they had. Even worse, it was now marked permanently on his flesh for all to see, where before any such heritage had been practically invisible.

"Your mother," Veronica cautiously asked, "-do you think it was hers?"

Keith shook his head. "I don't know. Dad acted like he wanted to say something else about it, but he never got the chance. All I know is that he always had it with him while I was growing up. I thought... I always thought it was his."

"Can I see it?" Veronica asked.

Keith bit his lip, before slowly nodding his head. He offered it to Veronica, hilt first. She took great care in taking it from him, crouching next to his bedroll and running a finger down the smooth side of the knife.

"When the druid tried to touch this, he acted like it burned him." Veronica said. "That was how I was able to distract him, actually."

Keith finally looked up again, his curiosity briefly overriding anything else. "How did you manage to get it away from me?"

"I used the flashbangs I brought as an emergency signal." Veronica said. "Both of them."

"That's nuts." Keith bluntly stated.

"Says the person who was about to face down something that can hurl lightning bolts with its hands with just a knife." Veronica countered.

Keith opened his mouth to protest, before he snapped it shut, watching her with a hooded glare. "Fine. Maybe you have a point."

"You're _both_ nuts." Adam said. "And you're both lucky you're not dead."

"Seems to be a reoccurring them in our lives as of late." Veronica observed. "But I guess that's just what happens when you're in a resistance movement against alien invaders."

Keith flinched at that, ducking his head again. Adam glared at Veronica, who to her credit, looked properly sheepish.

But at least it helped him make up his mind.

"Keith," Adam said slowly, gently placing a hand on his back, painfully aware of how badly he flinched at his touch, "-even if you do somehow have Galra blood, this doesn't change anything. At least, not to me."

"Or me." Veronica said. "Besides, if you _do_ have Galra blood, then it likely comes from a Galra _rebel_."

Keith looked up, his expression that of someone who'd had too much experience being burned to actually put any faith into those words- but also that of someone who desperately wanted to. Veronica smiled at him, offering him back his knife, which he took after a moment's hesitation, hurriedly twining the bandages back around its hilt.

"We can't really know that." Keith finally said once he was done. "If this is my mom's... she could have just taken it off a dead Blade or something."

"Okay, that's a good point." Veronica admitted. "But wouldn't the Galra have known about Earth like, way before now if she was?"

Keith frowned, his brow furrowing in thought. "I mean... I guess?"

"Whoever your mother was, I don't think she was a bad person." Adam reassured him. "You said your father was a hero, right? Would he really have gotten together with someone who was bad?"

Keith chewed on his lip, before he finally shook his head. "I don't think so."

"See?" Veronica grinned, ruffling his hair. "There you go!"

Making a faint noise of protest, Keith hastily tried to fix his hair. "You make it sound so simple."

"It helps that we've had plenty of time to get to know you." Adam shrugged. "Hard to be afraid of a kid who purrs."

Keith turned a brilliant shade of crimson, what could be best described as an indignant squawk escaping from his mouth. "I don't purr!"

"He's teasing." Veronica said, shooting him a glare. "You don't purr."

"Thank y-"

"At least, not that _I've_ heard." Veronica finished.

Keith snapped his mouth shut, glaring at her with all the fury he could muster. "I hate you both."

"No you don't." Veronica said lightly, ruffling his hair again, more aggressively this time. "You love us. And even if you don't, you're stuck with us now, kid. I'd say we're pretty much family at this point."

"Great." Keith rolled his eyes even as he tried to hide the way the edges of his mouth twitched upwards. "Just what I've always wanted, annoying older siblings of my very own."

His tone was deeply sarcastic, but the kind one took when they were trying to mask how they really felt. Veronica's words had caused all of the tension to wash out of his shoulders- and it wasn't limited to just them. Somehow, the tension that had been lingering between the three of them just disappeared, almost like it had never been there.

What he'd said was true. He knew Keith. They had been together for _months_ now. If Keith had Galra blood, then he'd _always_ had Galra blood. Nothing had changed.

"So if that's the reason why you're afraid to stay," Adam began, "-then you don't have to worry. We won't let anything happen to you."

"And if it's not," Veronica began, before Keith had a chance to get a word in edgewise, "-then we'll think of a way to defeat the druid together."

"Three heads _are_ better than one." Adam added.

Keith narrowed his eyes, his smile faltering a bit. "You don't have to-"

"Yes," Veronica cut him off, "-we do."

Keith swallowed, biting down on his lip- and abruptly, Adam realized that he was fighting back tears. But just before they could break, Keith took in a large gulp of air, squaring his shoulders. When he looked up, there weren't tears in his now mismatched eyes- but resolve.

"Then we'd better get started."


	11. declaration of war

Chapter eleven is here! How does today find everyone? I just blew fifty bucks on a super cute umbrella and I do not regret it one bit. Anyways, enough about me, on to the story- and possibly a future story? For those of you who follow my account, rather than just story, look forward to something new coming in the next few days, now that _cosmic dust_ has wrapped up! All I'll say for now is that it's an AU that focuses on a what if scenario involving Naxzela- and a much deeper exploration of Kuron and the clone plotline than we got in canon. Look forward to it~!

* * *

 **flicker**

 **chapter eleven**

 **declaration of war**

* * *

By day's end, their plan was still only in its rudimentary stages. Loudly yawning, Keith blinked, trying to combat the weariness that had started to weigh him down. He knew he should probably sleep, but he'd been sleeping for an entire month already. He didn't exactly want to go back to sleep any time soon.

"Okay," Adam said, "-I think that's a sign we should put a pin in this."

Keith grumbled, shooting Adam a half-hearted glare. "I'm fine."

"Then why are your eyelids drooping?" Veronica asked.

"They're not drooping." Keith protested. "It's just bright, that's all."

It was only mostly a lie. His right eye was definitely a lot more light-sensitive now than it had been in the past, and the disconnect between the two was starting to give him something of a headache. He was seriously considering checking their medical supplies to see if they had an eyepatch or something, maybe a box of those gauze medical ones.

It was probably something better hidden anyways.

"It's okay if you want to rest, Keith." Adam said. "You went through a traumatic ordeal."

"Yeah, a month ago." Keith huffed. "I think I'm done sleeping for awhile."

Veronica just rolled her eyes, lightly shoving him back down onto his bedroll. "Oh stop being such a baby and go to sleep. We can work more on this in the morning."

Keith grumbled, but went down without a fuss. Yawning again, he blinked his eyes, briefly debating continuing to insist that he was fine, but he had to admit that he _was_ tired. Maybe a quick nap wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"Fine," he grumbled again, just to get the fact that he was doing this under protest across, "-you win."

"Of course I do." Veronica beamed. "How many times do you think Marco, Rachel, and Lance fought with me about bedtimes?"

"I don't know." Keith yawned. "A lot?"

"And they never won." Veronica boasted. "Get some sleep. One of us will hang around."

Keith just nodded, slowly closing his eyes. Today had taken a lot out of him, even though he had only gotten up once or twice to use the bathroom. Learning that he had been in a fever coma for a month was a shock in and of itself, but learning- or _confirming_ , he guessed- that he was part alien, and that his mother was probably Galra? It was no small wonder he was tired.

He wasn't even going to _touch_ on the aftereffects of the druid's attack. Part of him was hopeful that in time, the changes would fade, and he would revert back to normal, but the more realistic part of him knew that seemed unlikely. He'd been trying not to think about it beyond the more practical aspects, but he guessed there was no denying that he was part Galra now.

He frowned slightly, but didn't get to chase that train of thought any further. Sleep overcame him, and for once, he almost thought of it as a blessing.

* * *

Once he was sure Keith was asleep, Adam let out a long sigh.

"Hey," Veronica said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "-he'll be okay. He's tough."

"I know." Adam said. "I just don't like the idea of using him as bait."

As rudimentary as their plan was, using Keith to draw out the druid was the only really clear aspect of it at this point. It was clear that the druid had taken an interest in him, or at least had standing orders to bring him in from Sendak. He wasn't sure how the hierarchy worked there- but then, he wasn't exactly that familiar with druids either. He'd only heard of them once- not even from Sam himself, but from a recording.

 _"Take them back to the main fleet for interrogation. The druids will find out what they know."_

"I wish Sam were here." Veronica said, seemingly reading his mind. "Maybe he could tell us more."

"About the druids, or about the Blade?" Adam asked.

"Both." Veronica said. "Do you think she... do you think Keith's mother came here for the blue lion? I mean, you said it once yourself- the place where it was hidden wasn't far from Keith's shack."

Adam shook his head. "I don't know. There was a map, but..."

At least now he knew what that unlabeled spot on the map was, the one that had been circled in blue. It had to be the blue lion- which meant not only did Keith's Galra mother know about it, but his father had too. He'd obviously kept it a secret, not even telling his own son about its existence- or maybe he just didn't get a chance to. It was hard to tell what a dead man might have been thinking, and it wasn't like he could just _ask_ him.

He wondered if he'd ever planned on telling Keith.

"Why would she just _leave_ him?" Veronica asked, staring down at Keith's sleeping face. It was surprisingly peaceful, given everything that had happened. His breaths came out slow and steady, unlike his labored, hot breaths from before. "He obviously meant something to her, if she left her knife behind."

"I wish I knew." Adam said. "Maybe she didn't have a choice."

"We always have a choice." Veronica said.

Adam's eyes narrowed a bit, and he found himself staring at the floor. It was true- there was _always_ a choice. And when he had found himself at a crossroads in his relationship with Takashi, he had chosen to leave him. He wanted Takashi safe on Earth with him more than he wanted him to follow his lifelong dream- told him that all the other missions he had been on were good enough, that he didn't need to prove anything else.

In hindsight, he understood perfectly why Takashi had chosen as he had. He thought he had understood him, but he guessed he didn't- not as well as he thought he had. It was _never_ about proving anything. It was just his pure, unbridled love of space. His desire to do something, to be a part of something greater than himself.

He could only hope that part of Takashi hadn't changed.

Veronica frowned, seeming to sense what was on his mind. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Adam shook his head, cutting her off. "It's fine. You're right. I had a choice, and I blew it."

"I'm sure he'd forgive you," Veronica assured him, "-when he comes back."

 _When_ , not _if_. He smiled faintly at the optimism in Veronica's voice. They were both in the same boat there- both of them had loved ones far beyond their reach, their fates unknown. Sometimes he felt his own optimism flag, but Veronica's never seemed to falter. Like she had absolute faith that her brother would come back home.

And faith that she would be alive to see it.

They had both come close to death, but both times fate had intervened, in the form of an awkward half-alien kid with a knack for surviving everything the world threw at him. And from what Adam understood, the world never seemed to _stop_ throwing things at him. Being attacked by the druid was just the latest in a series of misfortunes that seemed to have plagued him ever since the death of his father.

He deserved better. Which is why he didn't like using him as bait.

He huffed slightly. It all kept coming back to that, didn't it?

"I should probably check in with Duane. We may need some help to take down the druid." Adam said, rising to his feet. "Think you can keep an eye on Keith?"

"I don't think he's going anywhere for awhile." Veronica told him, motioning towards Keith. He was fast asleep, undisturbed by their chatter. "So I think I'll be fine."

Adam just smiled. "It's just nice to see him so peaceful."

"Makes him look at least three years younger." Veronica observed. "Have you thought about what you're going to tell Duane?"

Adam shook his head. "Not yet, but I'll think of something. I'm pretty sure Duane's just as invested as we are when it comes to dealing with that druid."

"A teleporting Galra that can float and hurl lightning bolts from his hands?" Veronica asked, quirking a brow. "I think you'd have a tough time finding someone who _didn't_ want to get something like that out of the picture."

Adam huffed in amusement. "Point taken."

Ducking past the curtains, Adam scanned the base. It was true that the situation with Keith had just gotten a lot more difficult. What wasn't visible before was plain as day now, for anyone who knew how to read the signs. While he was confident that they could continue to play off the change in his appearance as a simple side effect of the druid's attack, that was only _if_ the druid kept his mouth shut. And not just him either- by now, he wouldn't be surprised if he had reported back to his command, or maybe even straight to Sendak.

He'd come looking for a Blade, and instead he'd found Keith. Based on what Veronica had overheard, this _Macidus_ definitely recognized Keith as being part Galra, and had even taunted him with that fact. What if he tried to use that against him? Tensions were high due to the invasion, and if there were people among them who would take the news that Keith had at least some Galra blood in him, it wouldn't surprise him.

Everyone here had lost someone to the Galra. Family, friends, lovers, coworkers, even pets... once the war was over, people would be lucky just to have a home to go back to.

 _If_ the war ever ended.

Heaving a sigh, Adam shook his head. Thinking about it was getting him nowhere. He needed to concentrate on what he _could_ do, not on the theoretical.

And right now, what he _could_ do was make sure Keith had as much support behind him as he could get. He was going to need it if they had any hope of taking down that druid. He huffed slightly, once again finding himself wishing that Sam were here, so that they could pump him for information about the-

 _Actually_ , Adam thought, coming to a dead halt, - _why_ _ **couldn't**_ _Sam be here?_

The thought struck him like a pile of bricks. In hindsight, it was so obvious- like the solution had been staring at him in the face the entire time. They had a secure route to the Garrison now. The only thing stopping them from heading there right now was the logistics of such a massive migration, even if it was only just a relatively short distance. They wouldn't just be moving people, but supplies too- supplies that the isolated Garrison was probably in need of.

But just one person? Just one person could get to the Garrison- and back- easily. It would also solve the problem of being unable to bring Keith with them to the Garrison. He was right about the fact that they couldn't risk the druid getting in, and he was almost positive it would try to come after Keith again at some point.

But they _could_ bring the Garrison to _them_.

With a plan set firmly in his mind, Adam sought out Duane, picking him out from the throng of people still mulling about even after dinner service had ended. With the support of Sam and the folks at the Galaxy Garrison, they just might be able to turn the tide against Macidus and score a victory against the Galra.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?"

Glancing up, Adam nodded. "If we're going to have any chance of taking down this druid, we'll need Sam's help. He's the only one who's had any experience with them."

By the time he'd finished discussing the details of his plan with Duane, a few hours had passed, and it was already dark out. He had stopped by the makeshift infirmary area to brief Veronica on what was going on, and she had followed him outside. For the time being, they had left Keith with Rachel. He was still fast asleep, and probably would be until morning.

Duane was already waiting for them, a car all gassed up and ready to go. He would accompany him to the Garrison himself, leaving the base temporarily under Jackson's charge. He was already in the car, patiently waiting for him to finish up.

Veronica frowned. "I know, but... can't it wait until morning? When Keith wakes up?"

"The faster I get to the Garrison, the better." Adam said. "If I go now, I might even get back before sunrise."

Veronica just snorted. "Provided the Admiral lets you go that easily. You're supposed to be a dead man."

"At this point I'm pretty sure Admiral Sanda has more experience than anyone with dead men reporting back for duty." Adam said. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

Veronica shook her head. "I should stay here."

"Yeah, I had a feeling you'd say that." Adam said. "If Keith does wake up while I'm gone, tell him I'm sorry for not being there."

If their situation were reversed, then he would probably be doing the same. Promising Keith that they were here for him, and then leaving in the night didn't exactly seem like they meshed together. If the matter wasn't urgent, he probably _would_ have waited for morning. But the faster they dealt with this druid, the better. He couldn't let him hurt Keith again.

He also couldn't let him run roughshod all over their resistance efforts either. That too. Thus far, he had stuck close to work camp- the way Adam saw it, Macidus was making sure they knew that he was still alive, and wasn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon. He just didn't know how long that would last.

"I'll be sure to tell him." Veronica said. "Who knows? Mom's been dying to meet him since I told her he woke up yesterday. Said she'd make him a real breakfast, not this crappy rationed food. Maybe he'll be so occupied that he won't even notice you're missing."

"Taking advantage of my absence to get the jump on me?" Adam asked, arching a brow. "Once all this is over, we're discussing custody arrangements."

Veronica snorted, giving him a shove. "You make it sound like you're my ex."

"Impossible, I'm too gay to be your ex." Adam grinned.

"You kids done?" Duane called out, causing them both to jump. "We're burning moonlight."

"Coming, sorry." Adam said, giving Veronica an apologetic look. She just shook her head, rolling her eyes before motioning for him to hurry up and get in the car already.

He did just that, sliding into the passenger seat and shutting the door behind him. Peeking out the window, he waved at Veronica, who waved back, before he turned back to Duane. "Okay. Let's go."

Duane said nothing, just started the car. Adam looked out the window a second time, watching as Veronica quickly faded into the distance, hoping that he was making the right choice. He prayed that Sam actually did know something about the druids- he didn't like the idea of going into an operation like this practically blind.

What information they did have just didn't feel like enough. It was weak to bright lights and loud sounds- and, for whatever reason, Keith's knife.

He'd told Duane that was what the druid was after- the knife, not Keith. Suggested that maybe Keith's dad had picked it up somewhere in the desert, and had maybe mentioned that he'd lived not that far from where the blue lion had been hidden. Picking up an alien item in the area didn't exactly seem like all that much of a stretch.

As far as cover stories went, it was a decent one. He'd passed it on to Veronica, who had promised to pass it on to Keith when he woke up. As long as they could keep it straight, it might just work.

"So how well do you know this Samuel Holt?" Duane asked. "He's the one from the Kerberos mission, right?"

"That's the one." Adam said. "If there's anyone who knows about these druids, it's him."

"Hope so." Duane said. "I agree that something has to be done about it, but if I'm being honest, the odds of using successfully taking that thing out don't seem high. We're just lucky it hasn't turned its attention towards us yet."

Adam nodded, unable to say anything to that. He knew he was right. The druid's lack of action towards them proved that he was here solely for Keith. Now that Keith was awake...

He tried not to think about it.

"You're worried about the kid."

It was a statement, not a question. Duane barely even spared him a glance as he said it. There wasn't exactly any road to focus on, so he was just keeping his gaze fixed straightforward, keeping his eyes peeled for any rocks or misplaced rubble. He wondered how much of it belonged to the ships that his comrades had flown- though he supposed they wouldn't be seeing that wreckage until they got closer to the Garrison.

"He's been through a lot already." Adam said shortly. "I just don't want to put him at risk if I don't have to."

"He's a tough kid." Duane observed. "I don't think a lot of people would have survived what happened to him."

Adam tensed, forcing himself to keep his own gaze fixed straight ahead, under the guise of looking out for any obstacles. He didn't want his expression to betray him. He couldn't stop himself from wondering if Duane had meant something more by that, if he'd figured it out, if he'd only agreed to this to lure him away from the base and reduce Keith's defenses...

No. He couldn't think like that. Even if they knew, Keith had proven himself to be nothing but an asset to the resistance. He might be nervous, but he couldn't imagine them turning on him so quickly.

Not its leaders, anyways.

"Yeah," he said instead, "-he is."

The rest of the drive was largely in silence, only the occasional word spoken between them. Adam busied himself, rehearsing what he would say over and over again in his head. He was back in his Garrison issue pressure suit after so long- he'd brought it with them when they had changed locations. On his lap was a blaster, though he had no way of knowing if it was the same one Keith had stolen from that first sentry or not. They'd gotten others since then. Duane had one too- for all he knew, it could be the one. Or maybe it was the one Veronica had left behind, prioritizing Keith over it.

This was bigger than just the shack out in the desert now. This was war.

It was funny. He'd known that for awhile, but it hadn't fully hit him until just now. Maybe it was because this was the first _real_ mission he had been on. He'd joined a few scouting parties, searching for supplies and survivors alike, but he'd never actually taken direct action against the Galra yet. And while he wasn't necessarily going to be fighting any sentries tonight- or at least, he _hoped_ not- it still somehow felt to him like this was a declaration of war.

Maybe it was. Maybe this was him, declaring war against that druid. He thought about Keith, writhing in pain and fighting against fever, and narrowed his eyes. He thought about Takashi, all those years that he'd thought he was dead out in space. About his parents, who he didn't even know if they were alive or not.

That was _exactly_ what he was doing. He was declaring war. War against the druid that had hurt Keith. War against the soldiers that had torn Veronica's family apart. War against the Galra who had killed his comrades, cut them down in the blink of an eye.

War against the ones who had taken Takashi from him, before he ever got the chance to apologize.

He was going to war.

* * *

"Commander, there's an unknown vehicle approaching the main gate. How should we proceed?"

Sam frowned, turning towards the monitor. It wouldn't be the first time someone had risked the journey to come here, nor did he suspect it was the last. Word had spread about their base being one of the last outposts of safety and civilization, so practically since the invasion had begun, there had been a bold few who tried to gain sanctuary within their walls.

Or perhaps he should say within their _particle barrier_. He was just grateful that they had gotten it ready when they had- even a few seconds worth of delay would have been too late. The Galra's bombardment would have taken countless lives, and would have severely damaged their base of operations. It wasn't to say that they hadn't lost lives- those ten pilots that Admiral Sanda had sent out against his recommendations were ten lives too many- plus one more, during a resupply mission. But it could have been much worse.

"Let them into the first gate." Sam said. "They're probably just more refugees, looking for a place to stay."

"Copy that."

Sam watched as the officer began the procedure to open the first gate. It had been one of the first new structures they had built after the invasion began- a multi-tiered gate system that would allow for their ground vehicles to enter and exit the Garrison without having to lower the particle barrier. Sendak had been content to leave them alone for the time being, but he didn't know how long that would last.

"Heat scan indicates that it's two people, the driver and one passenger." The officer informed him. "How should I proceed?"

"Tell the driver and their passenger to remain on standby." Sam instructed. "I'll head down to meet them."

The officer nodded. "Sir."

He made haste down towards the front courtyard, where he requisitioned a cruiser for his own use. It would get him to the front gate a lot faster than walking, and he didn't want to keep their guests waiting. Part of him still held out hope that one day, it would be Matt and Katie coming in through those doors, bringing the rest of Voltron with them.

Although he guessed if they were bringing Voltron, they wouldn't be going through the doors. Hm. He'd have to think about that one.

Exiting the cruiser, Sam saluted to the guard posted outside the gate. Using a keypad, he gave himself access to the interior of the structure, going through a series of small doors before he reached the first gate. Down below, the car and its passengers were waiting- two men, by the look of them.

As he drew closer, he realized one of those two men was wearing a Garrison issue pressure suit. A few steps more, and he realized that he knew _exactly_ who he was.

"Adam?" Sam called out, certain he sounded as astonished as he felt. "Adam Warner?"

Adam- because that was exactly who it was- looked up at him, blinking in surprise. "Commander Holt?"

"You're alive." Sam breathed. "Your unit, I thought-"

"I was shot down." Adam said. "Someone helped save me."

Sam swore he felt his knees almost buckle. If it weren't for his tight grip on the railing, he probably would have fallen to them, but somehow he managed to stand up straight. It felt like all this war had been doing since he got back to Earth was take things from him- so while getting something back for a change was nice, it was almost too much to handle.

Adam Warner was _alive_.

(And if Adam was alive, maybe Shiro was too.)

"Did anyone else-?" Sam chanced, but he wasn't even able to finish the question.

Adam just shook his head. "No. If they did, I haven't met them."

Sam's shoulders slumped, but in truth, he hadn't been holding out too much hope that anyone else could have survived. It was miracle enough that Adam had.

"I'm sorry." Sam said.

"Me too." Adam told him, smiling sadly. "The person with me is Duane. He leads a small resistance effort that works against the Galra. I've been working with them just about since my plane went down. There's something we need to discuss with you- something critical."

"Critical?" Sam asked, narrowing his eyes. Earth was in the middle of being invaded- he failed to see how any one thing could be any more critical than anything else.

From across the room, Adam locked eyes with him. "What do you know about druids?"

Sam froze, his grip on the handrail tightening. He hadn't exactly forgotten about his encounter with the druids, but for a long time, he'd been trying not to think about it. It was one thing being forced to work for the Galra- at least then he could keep a certain level of secrecy- but the druids had been different. They had been able to look inside his mind, invading it just like the Galra were currently invading their planet.

He _never_ wanted to see one again. But from the sound of it, there was one _here_.

"I think," Sam swallowed, "-I think you should come inside. _Now_."

* * *

At first he thought that Sam would bring them to the admiral, so he was surprised when the man instead made a beeline for his own office. The state it was in could hardly be described as orderly- there were countless books scattered about and blueprints pinned to almost every spare corner of wall. It had been messy before the invasion too, but it had only gotten worse since then. He took it as a good sign- not only was Sam Holt the Galaxy Garrison's most brilliant engineer, he was also the only man familiar with alien tech.

"How's work on the Atlas going?" Adam asked.

"Good." Sam said, his eyes somewhat downcast. "We were able to gather enough raw material to complete the superstructure. Unfortunately, we weren't able to do it without losses."

Adam blinked, before something clicked in his mind. "If you mean Veronica, she's alive."

Sam looked up, his eyes wide. "I thought- the MFE pilots saw the tunnel collapse."

"It did." Adam said. "Just not on her. She was able to make it out okay."

Collapsing in his chair, Sam heaved a long sigh of relief. "That- that's great."

"She would have come too, but she couldn't." Adam told him, taking that as his cue to take a seat too. He had to move some papers out of the way first, as did Duane. "The kid who rescued me- rescued the both of us, actually- was injured. She's looking after him."

"By the druid, I take it?" Sam asked, making a face when he nodded in confirmation. "In that case, he's lucky to just be alive. If it's medical facilities you need, I think we could manage to treat him here, though I've yet to have any success at emulating an Altean healing pod."

Adam bit down on his lip, grateful for the offer, but not sure if that was such a good idea. In hindsight, maybe bringing Keith with them to the Garrison _wasn't_ such a great idea, but it was better than letting him disappear off into the desert. He was almost certain he could survive, but that didn't mean he was inclined to _let_ him.

"Thanks, but that's not why we're here." Adam said.

"No, I didn't think so. Knowing you, you would have brought the kid with you if his condition was that serious." Sam said, offering him a faint smile. "Start by telling me what you know about this druid."

"It's here for some fancy alien knife." Duane said. "Or at least, that's the theory we're running on. Kid's father picked it up in the desert years ago. Rat bastard attacked him because of it."

"A knife?" Sam asked, his brow furrowing. "Why would-?"

"We don't know." Adam quickly cut his inquiry off, chancing an almost pleading look in Sam's direction. "And it doesn't matter. The point is, we need to find a way to take care of it."

Sam leveled his gaze on him, the slight incline of his brows the only thing betraying his otherwise neutral expression. Adam's eyes narrowed in response, a promise that they would talk more later about the real reasons why the druid- and the knife- were here. If there was anyone at the Garrison that he trusted with that information, and with Keith, it was Sam Holt.

"You're right." Sam agreed. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure the admiral would be willing to approve such a mission. Druids are extremely dangerous. She's not likely to order to engage it until it shows an interest in us."

Duane just snorted. "She ignores it long enough, it'll stop being our problem and start being hers."

"I agree." Sam said. "Which is why I brought you here, instead of to her office. Fortunately for us, the admiral is asleep and I reported that the two of you were just refugees, looking for a place to stay."

"Won't that get you in trouble?" Adam asked.

"As it stands, I'm already in trouble." Sam shrugged. "What's a little more?"

"Speaking of refugees," Duane cut in, "-we've got dozens looking for a safe place to stay. How would your admiral feel about that?"

"She hasn't turned any away yet." Sam said. "Seeing Adam and Veronica come back might actually help boost morale around here."

"Good." Duane said. "We'll be bringing supplies too."

"That will definitely make the admiral happy." Sam noted. "Back on the subject of the druid- tell me everything you know."

Adam nodded, laying out the story as he knew it. He skipped over a few details- namely, most of what Veronica had heard the druid tell Keith about his knife. He did tell Sam that the druid had given them his name- _Macidus_ \- and that not only had Veronica managed to chase him off with a pair of flashbangs, but that the knife in question had seemingly burned him when he tried to touch it.

"That could be because its made of luxite." Sam explained. "It's one of the few substances known to be able to harm a druid."

"What exactly _is_ a druid?" Adam asked.

"I wish I knew." Sam admitted, shaking his head. "I'm afraid I don't know much about them more than you do. All I _do_ know is that they're in the service of Emperor Zarkon's high priestess, a witch by the name of Haggar. I'm not even sure if they're true Galra."

"Well that's helpful." Duane snorted.

"But," Sam cut in, "-I may still be able to help you defeat it."

"Good, because we could use the help." Adam admitted. "We can't- _I_ can't- let it go after the kid again."

"Sounds like you have a real soft spot for this kid." Sam observed, arching his brows.

"He saved my life." Adam told him. "Pulled me out of the wreckage of my fighter. I owe him this."

"In that case, it sounds like I owe him one myself." Sam said, getting up. "Wait here. With any luck, I should be ready to go in under half an hour. Hope you don't mind if I bring my wife. I'm pretty sure she's still mad at me after my _last_ disappearing trick."

Adam grimaced. If it came between getting on Admiral Sanda's bad side and Colleen Holt's bad side, he'd pick the admiral every time.

Duane, for his part, just shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"Good. I'll be back soon." Sam told them, before ducking out of the room.

Adam nodded, his gaze drifting down towards the floor as soon as Sam left. He didn't know if he was trying to avoid Duane's gaze, or if he was just nervous about the whole idea of doing this without Admiral Sanda's permission. He wasn't exactly known for being much of a rule breaker- that was more of Takashi's thing. He got the feeling she wouldn't be happy when she woke up to find that her best engineer had gone missing. He sure hoped Sam planned on leaving some kind of note.

"Sure hope this Commander of yours can think of some way to defeat that druid." Duane said. "We've just been lucky that it hasn't turned it's attention back on us so far."

Adam just nodded. He knew that all too well. Every day of the past month had been an anxious waiting game- waiting for Keith's condition to improve, or waiting for the druid to track them down and finish the job. He still wasn't sure he it didn't know where they were or not, or if he was just biding his time, waiting for reinforcements. Based on the way Veronica had described the druid, he didn't think they had much of a chance if there were more of them.

"Sam will help." Adam said resolutely, willing himself to believe it.

Duane didn't say anything, just nodded. A few more minutes of awkward silence passed before the door to Sam's office opened again, and the Commander returned, a pair of bags slung over both shoulders. With him was Colleen, who wasted no time in embracing him in a surprisingly painful hug.

"Sam told me you were alive, but I didn't think..." Colleen said, trailing off. "It's good to see you, Adam."

"Glad to _be_ alive." Adam said, more than a little grateful when Colleen let go. He wouldn't have been alive for much longer if she'd kept it up. "You both ready?"

"We're ready." Sam said. "Sorry to impose."

"Think nothing of it." Duane said. "If it helps us take care of this nasty bugger, all for the better."

"Good." Sam nodded. "Besides, I'd like to meet this kid that Adam and Veronica owe their life to. Sounds like a real hero."

He couldn't help but read into that a little, but he tried not to dwell on it. He probably really _did_ just want to meet Keith. Who knew? Maybe Sam might even have some answers about what Keith's mother was doing on Earth in the first place- if he'd spent time with Voltron, then he had to have some experience with the Blade of Marmora, right? He always spoke about them favorably, at least.

"Great, then it's settled." Duane said, getting to his feet. "We should start heading back. The faster we can get back to base, the better. Makes me feel all anxious, leaving it for this long."

He couldn't agree more. He just wanted to get back to Keith, seized with by the sudden fear that the druid might have decided to attack while they were away. He knew it was just paranoia, but it was paranoia that was hard to shake.

Sam took the lead, guiding them through the less populated areas of the Garrison. He kept expecting them to be stopped at some point, but they never were, and before he knew it, they had made it back to the front gate. Loading back into the car they had used to get here, Adam glanced back towards Sam and Colleen in the backseat.

"It might be a little bumpy back there." He told them.

"Oh, I think I'll manage." Sam said.

Colleen likewise nodded, strapping on her seatbelt. "What's his name, by the way?"

"Hm?" Adam frowned, glancing back towards her.

"The one who saved you." Colleen said. "What's his name?"

"Oh." Adam blinked, realizing he hadn't actually called Keith by name yet. "It's Keith."

"Keith?" Colleen blinked, perking up. "It's not Keith _Kogane_ , by any chance?"

Adam frowned, his brow furrowing. "I- yeah. How did you know?"

"I used to tutor him sometimes, back when he was still living in the orphanage." Colleen said, equal parts wonder and relief in her voice- before something seemed to click. "You said he was hurt?"

"He's already recovered from the worst of it." Adam was quick to reassure her, more than a little surprised by this turn of events. Keith had never mentioned being tutored by Colleen, but he guessed it wasn't exactly the sort of thing that came up in casual conversation. He didn't exactly like to talk about the time he'd spent in the foster system, for reasons that were pretty easy to understand.

Still, it was nice to see someone else who apparently cared about Keith.

"Left some mighty nasty side effects though." Duane observed, starting up the car. "But I think he'll pull through."

"Side effects?" Sam asked. "What kind of side effects?"

Adam frowned, not quite knowing how to answer that question. "I think it's probably better if you see it for yourself."

Behind him, Sam and Colleen exchanged a glance. All he could do was hope his hunch was right.


	12. what the stars hold

Chapter twelve! I couldn't work on this one as much as I've wanted because I've been feeling a bit under the weather. Nothing serious, but definitely not conducive to writing. I'm starting to feel better though, so no worries there! As always, thanks for reading!

* * *

 **flicker**

 **chapter twelve**

 **what the stars hold**

* * *

He was dreaming again- not of the strange white void, for once, but of his father. It was vague, blurry, like a half-remembered memory. But his father was there, a calm and reassuring presence even in his dreams, and suddenly it felt like all the questions he wanted to ask him just didn't matter anymore.

He woke slowly, drawn out of slumber by the scent of something sweet.

"Oh hey, you're up." Veronica said, popping into his line of vision with a smile.

It wasn't as bright as it had been yesterday, but it took him awhile to realize that was because the lights in his immediate area had been dimmed slightly. He'd sort of been hoping it was because his right eye had gone back to normal, but since the scarring on his arm was still there, he had to assume that his eye was still that weird shade of yellow.

Galra yellow, he thought.

"Veronica?" Keith asked, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He tried to get a read on what time it was, but it was impossible.

"That would be my name." Veronica said. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, I think." Keith frowned, lightly touching his head. "How do I look?"

"Same as yesterday, just with more bed hair." Veronica told him. "Want to borrow my comb?"

Making a slight face, Keith just held out his hand. Veronica set a comb in it, and he made quick work of his bed hair. He wondered if his difficult to tame hair had anything to do with his Galra genetics, or if it was just totally unrelated.

"Thanks." Keith told her, passing it back. Catching a whiff of that sweet scent again, Keith frowned. "Also, do you smell something sweet?"

Veronica grinned, rising to her feet without giving him a response. Tilting his head, Keith watched as she made her way towards the dividing curtain that closed off his little section of the base. Still beaming, she pulled it back with what was frankly completely unnecessary levels of dramatic flair.

"Ta-da!" Veronica declared. "Breakfast is served!"

Keith blinked, staring at the somewhat plump older woman standing on the other side of the curtain. She had the same color hair as Veronica, and given how easily she had let her in, he was going to guess that she was her mother. She smiled back at him, gentle and unflinching, even as she took in his decidedly odd appearance- maybe she'd been warned beforehand, or had seen him while he was sleeping. It was hard to imagine that his current appearance would garner _no_ reaction.

But more important than the woman's total lack of reaction was what she was carrying. He unconsciously sniffed the air, suddenly realizing why he'd dreamed of his dad.

He hadn't had pancakes since he died.

"Are those-?" Keith began.

"Pancakes?" Veronica asked. "Yes, yes, they are."

"I _did_ have to use a dry mix," Veronica's mother began, "-but they should still be better than what they're serving for rations around here."

Keith blinked, staring at her, and then at Veronica. He opened his mouth to say that he wasn't worth the trouble it must have taken to make them, only to snap it shut. Clearly they thought he was worth it, otherwise they wouldn't have bothered.

It was weird, this idea that there were people who _cared_ about him. It had been weird back when it was just Colleen, and it had gotten weirder when the number of people grew. And just when he thought it couldn't get any weirder, there were apparently people willing to stick by him even after it came out that he shared blood with very same race of aliens that were currently invading their planet.

Weird. But _good_ weird.

"Thank you." He said instead.

"Don't thank me yet." Veronica's mother said. "You haven't even tried them."

Keith wanted to say that this was more than anyone had done for him in awhile, but he abruptly realized that wasn't true. People had been doing a lot for him lately, more than he had even realized. Veronica had _saved his life_ , and it occurred to him in a way it hadn't yesterday that she and Rachel must have helped carry him all the way back to base. He wasn't exactly light either, so that meant something to him.

Maybe people really _did_ care.

So instead, he just nodded. Veronica's mother just smiled, either not noticing his mental dialogue with himself, or not caring. Setting the paper plate down in his lap, along with some plastic utensils, she gave him an apologetic smile.

"Would you believe I couldn't find any syrup here?" She asked. "Unbelievable. It's like we're living through the apocalypse or something."

Only the woman's light, joking tone staved off the surge of guilt he felt rise in his chest. He had to remind himself that he had no connection to the Galra that were invading the planet, other than his shared blood with them, and that was wasn't enough to condemn him. If what Adam and Veronica had told him about the Blade of Marmora was true, then his mother wasn't even _part_ of the Empire.

He _wasn't_ one of them.

"Yeah," Keith cracked a faint smile, "-you'd think."

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the edge of Veronica's lips twitch upwards. She had a reason for doing all of this, and it was more than just one-upping Adam behind his back.

Speaking of Adam...

Blinking, he looked up at Veronica. "Where's Adam?"

"He went to recruit help." Veronica said.

"To deal with the druid?" Keith asked, tilting his head. He wasn't totally against the idea, but he wasn't exactly wild about it either. It still felt like something he should deal with himself. The more it dawned on him that there were people who actually cared about him, the less he wanted to get them involved. It seemed like the only way to protect them, but there wasn't much he could do about it if the people themselves vetoed that idea.

Slip away in the middle of the night maybe, but that didn't seem as easy a prospect as he'd once thought it would be. Guess maybe _he'd_ changed too.

"No, for the evil clown." Veronica dryly replied. "If all goes well, he should be back before long."

Frowning, Keith wondered just where he had gone. There _were_ other resistance groups around, so maybe he'd gone to speak with them? Strange- as far as he knew, theirs was the biggest group in the area. What could he possibly need from one of the smaller ones?

Still, it _was_ Adam. He couldn't find it in himself to doubt him.

"Now, eat up!" Veronica's mother said. "Veronica didn't tell me you would be so skinny!"

Biting back a comment that he'd just always been this way, Keith nodded. Carefully using the plastic ware, he took a bite out of the pancake. Even without syrup, and even made from a box mix with likely improvised ingredients, it was still delicious. Maybe not quite like his father had once made, but nothing could compare to those.

He was glad he'd had that dream. It had served to remind him of something important- that no matter what his father had kept from him, his love for him was real. That was the truth, and he could believe in it. He hadn't wanted to, but he'd been doubting him for awhile now- but now it finally felt like he could move past that.

Now he just had to try and accept what he was.

And that... that was a lot harder.

"Well?" Veronica asked. "How is it?"

"Oh," Keith blinked, glancing down at the pancakes, which he had been distractedly eating, "-they're good. Thanks."

It didn't feel like compliment enough, given how out of the way her mother would have had to gone to make them, but he'd never been exactly very good with words. But in spite of that, he swore Veronica's mother almost _glowed_.

"Anything for the boy who saved both of my daughter's lives." She told him. "Veronica told me all about you."

Keith managed a weak smile. "I'm pretty sure your daughters saved my life too. I owe them one."

"Please," Veronica rolled her eyes, before aggressively ruffling his hair, "-like you would ever owe me anything. Consider our debts mutually paid."

Keith frowned, unsure about that. He felt like he owed Veronica and her family a lot more, since it was essentially his fault that Rachel had been stolen away from her family. Granted, he hadn't actually confirmed that yet, but frankly, he was too afraid to ask. It felt so good to be _wanted_ like this, that he was terrified of doing anything to jeopardize it.

So instead he just nodded, disguising his insecurities by continuing to eat. Before he knew it, he'd polished off the pancakes. Come to think of it, he hadn't eaten all that much yesterday- he guessed his body must have still been in shock. He _had_ been in a coma for a month, after all.

With that in mind, he was doing surprisingly well, actually. His upper right half still felt a little numb, but it wasn't as bad as yesterday. Hopefully the nurse was right, and it would go away completely, because he didn't want to think about something being wrong with him on top of everything else. He wondered if the druid had known this would happen, or if this was an unexpected side-effect.

He'd seemed more interested in taking him to Sendak than exposing him, so maybe it was the latter. He frowned at the thought, wondering what would have happened to him if Veronica _hadn't_ intervened.

Somehow he doubted Sendak would be a fan- maybe he just wanted to kill him himself. Especially if they thought he was an actual Blade, which they must have. Probably not anymore, Keith thought, and for a second, he let himself hope that just maybe they had lost interest in him. It didn't last long- if they'd lost interest, then Macidus would have either moved on or shifted focus, but not only was he still here, he'd apparently done nothing but lurk in the vicinity of the work camp in the month he'd been out.

He was waiting, Keith realized. Waiting for _him_.

Narrowing his eyes, Keith ducked his head. He didn't care what anyone said- he had to find some way to deal with him before he hurt anyone else. He could have done a lot worse to Rachel than just use her as bait. He didn't want to see that happen to anyone, much less the family of someone who had admittedly become kind of important to him.

Blinking, Keith looked up towards Veronica. It hadn't really dawned on him yet, but she _was_ important to him, wasn't she? It wasn't just her either, but Adam too.

It was a weird feeling. Weird, but good.

"Hm?" Tilting her head, Veronica caught his gaze. "What's up?"

"It's nothing." Keith said quickly, his eyes darting away. "The pancakes were good. Thanks."

Veronica arched a brow, but she didn't get the chance to say anything. There was some kind of commotion at the far end of the base, and for just a second, Keith's hair stood on end before he realized that though noisy, it wasn't the kind of commotion that meant trouble.

"Sounds like Adam's back." Veronica said. "Guess he got the help he was looking for."

"Where was he looking for help anyways?" Keith asked.

Veronica grinned. "You want to guess?"

"No." Keith said frankly. He hated guessing games.

Veronica just snorted. "I should have known. He went to recruit the one person on this rock who's dealt with druids before."

Keith blinked, for a second not understanding who she meant- before it clicked. There was only one person he knew of that fit that description. "You don't mean-?"

"The one and only." Veronica said.

* * *

The sheer hustle and bustle of the resistance base surprised him. Even with Duane's offhand comment that they had several dozen people to relocate, he still hadn't quite expected the underground base to be so populated. In a way, he supposed it was a good sign- it was encouraging to see this many people free of Galra control, and not only that, but willing to fight against them.

He would have taken heart in it, were it not for the fact that what brought him here was the presence of a druid. Short of Haggar herself, it was the one thing he knew they were woefully unprepared for. He hadn't even considered that druids might be a part of a potential invasion force- a careless oversight on his part, in hindsight.

Now that one was here, they had no choice _but_ to deal with it. Particle barriers wouldn't protect them, and they just didn't have any weapons that would be effective against a druid. He knew it wasn't impossible to defeat one, but he also knew it wasn't easy. As far as he was aware, outside of the Blade of Marmora, Princess Allura was the only one to ever defeat a druid, but unfortunately, no one knew where she, nor the rest of Voltron were.

If they did, they wouldn't be in this situation, he thought.

"Adam!"

At the sound of such a familiar voice, Sam couldn't help but look up. Adam had told him that Veronica had survived, but seeing her alive and well nearly overwhelmed him. Colleen's firm hand on his shoulder kept him steady, but there was a tightness to her grip that was less about reassurance.

Adam and Veronica were alive. Maybe Katie and Matt were too.

"Veronica." Sam said. "Adam told me you were alive, but..."

"Surprise?" Veronica couldn't help but grin. "It's good to see you too, Sam. And Colleen! I didn't expect to see you!"

"I wasn't about to let Sam go off on his own again, not after what happened last time." Colleen quipped. "More importantly, is it true that Keith's here?"

Blinking in surprise, Veronica glanced towards Adam, who just shrugged. Looking back towards Colleen, she frowned slightly. "You know Keith?"

" _Know_ him?" Colleen asked. "I used to tutor him. I even helped him get his job."

"Huh," Veronica hummed, "-guess it is a small world."

"Speaking of Keith, is he...?" Adam began, purposefully trailing off in a way that Sam couldn't help but frown at.

He got the feeling that there was something that he was purposefully leaving out of the story he told him- in the first place, the idea that a druid might attack him just because of a knife he had sounded fishy- especially if said knife was made out of luxite. That wasn't something someone just _picked up_ , not out in the desert, or anywhere else for that matter. As far as he knew, the Blade of Marmora were the only ones who still possessed luxite. It was a considerably rare substance.

Ordinarily, he'd say that they were hiding a Blade, which might explain why he hadn't wanted to bring them to the Garrison for treatment, but in light of the fact that Colleen knew the kid, that explanation kind of fell apart. He was pretty sure his wife would have noticed if the orphan she was tutoring wasn't human, even if that was before they all knew for sure that aliens existed. Which meant there had to be some other explanation as to why he might possess a luxite blade.

"He's with my mom." Veronica said. "Which, knowing mom, means that he's probably listening to stories about my childhood right about now. Or Rachel's. God, I hope it's Rachel's."

Sam blinked, looking at Veronica. "Your mother is here?"

Veronica nodded. "The resistance helped find my family."

"That's great news." Sam said whole-heartedly. The sudden invasion had split up so many families, so it was good to hear that there was at least one intact.

Or at least, as close to intact it could get with their youngest son missing. Thinking about Lance made him think about his own children- about Matt and Katie. All he could do was pray that they were both alive, and that he'd get the chance to see them again.

"Can I see him?" Colleen asked. "I heard he was injured."

Veronica frowned slightly, once again glancing in Adam's direction. "I don't see why not?"

"Why don't you show her the way?" Duane asked Adam, patting him on the shoulder. "I'll meet up with Jackson and the other leaders and discuss our options with them. We'll be in the usual spot, so once you're done, you can bring Commander Holt with you."

"Are you sure?" Adam frowned. "We can-"

"I'm sure." Duane assured him. "Run along."

Glancing back towards Veronica, Adam just shrugged. "Guess Keith's getting some company."

Sam watched out of the corner of his eye as Duane weaved his way through the crowd. There was something being kept from him, but he couldn't be sure if Duane was in on it or not. He sounded sincere, but he couldn't say for sure.

Especially since he wasn't sure exactly what was being kept from him.

"I should probably warn you," Adam began, once they were clear of most of the people, "-the druid's attack did some damage. Some _unusual_ damage."

Sam arched a brow, again getting the sense that there was something going unsaid. He held his tongue, allowing the pair to lead him and Colleen through the base, almost all the way to the opposite end. In doing so, he got a good sense of the place- and was surprised to find that they seemed to have electricity. They had it at the Garrison, of course, but he'd been under the impression that the rest of the world wasn't so lucky.

Veronica must have caught him looking, because she grinned. "Solar power."

"Ah." Sam said. "That'd do it."

He remained silent until they approached their destination- which appeared to be a makeshift 'room' made out of curtains lashed to poles. He could see two figures inside- one standing, and another sitting, though both seemed to be quiet. Hearing them coming, the standing figure pushed back the curtains, peering outside. He recognized Veronica's mother from the family photos she had on the desk in her quarters, though he'd never actually met her before.

"You must be the Commander!" The woman beamed. "Oh, and his wife, too!"

Inside the curtained off area, the sitting figure almost seemed to perk up. "Mrs. Holt?"

"Keith?" Colleen asked, taking a step forward, before glancing back towards him. He gave her an encouraging smile, which she returned. "Can I come in?"

Though he'd never actually met the kid, he had heard his wife bring him up a few times in the past- for a time, he'd almost seemed to be something of a pet project of hers, for lack of a better term. She'd developed a certain fondness for the orphan, and wanted to try and help him make something of himself, even going so far as to get him a job after he opted to drop out of school. When he asked her about him last, maybe a few weeks after he'd finally returned to Earth after a _much_ longer than expected absence, all she could tell him was that he'd aged out of the system, and that she hadn't seen him since.

The last time either of them heard anything about Keith, it was during the early stages of the invasion. A group consisting of mostly orphans, plus a few adults had come in, some of whom as Colleen recognized from her time working at the orphanage in Plaht City. Apparently, Keith had been among the rescuers who had gathered at the orphanage after the back end collapsed during the initial invasion. He'd told them to come here, advice which they had taken, but he hadn't chosen to go with them.

They hadn't heard of him since, so he wasn't exactly surprised that Colleen was eager to see him again. It surprised him a little more that he was the one responsible for helping to save both Adam and Veronica- but he guessed life worked in funny ways sometimes.

"Uh," Keith audibly hesitated, "-I guess? Why are you even here?"

"Like I was going to let Sam go off on his own again." Colleen snorted.

"Oh." He swore he could almost hear his frown, but he could definitely see his silhouette stumble its feet. "Just- just give me a second."

"Keith, it's okay." Adam called out. "You can trust Commander Holt."

Sam arched a brow, casting another glance towards Adam. He just gave him a look, but didn't say anything. He couldn't help but wonder if there was a reason that Keith was effectively roped off from public view. Adam had said something about _unusual damage_ , so maybe he had been effected directly by druidic magic. He'd heard it could have some pretty unusual effects.

A few seconds of awkward silence passed, before the curtains twitched- not enough to give him a glimpse inside, but apparently enough for Keith to get a look at them.

"Okay," he finally conceded, "-I'm coming out."

Before anyone could say anything to that, the curtains were pulled all the way back. There were no photos, but Colleen had described him once before. He was as lanky and pale, with a shock of dark hair and dark eyes, just like she'd described.

What she hadn't mentioned was the purple- but judging from her surprised reaction, he was guessing that was new. It spread out over the right side of his body like veins, but a closer look revealed them to actually be closer to Lichtenberg scars. That had to be the damage that Adam had mentioned, but it didn't glow like other wounds brought on by druids did. It was more like a mere discoloration of the skin. And then there was the eye...

Duane had told him the boy's father had picked up a knife in the desert. Suddenly, Sam couldn't help but wonder if he'd actually picked up _more_ than that.

He must have been gawking, because Keith reflexively crossed his arms in front of him. "Veronica says you came to help with the druid."

"I-" Sam began.

"Yes," Colleen quickly said, brushing past him, "-that's exactly what we came for. Or Sam did, at least. I just came to check on you. Adam said you were hurt!"

Blinking, a visible look of surprise crossed Keith's face. He couldn't help but notice the way his right pupil widened accordingly, taking up most of the area where his iris would be. It must have effected his vision somewhat, because he quickly blinked again, his pupil size returning more or less to normal.

"I was." Keith said, reflexively drawing a bit more in on himself. "But I'm fine now. Just a lot of scarring. It just- it just looks weird."

"I'm glad." Colleen smiled. "I was worried about you, you know."

Lifting his head, Keith frowned. "You were?"

"I was." Colleen nodded. "Are you sure you're alright? It looks like it hurts."

"Just kind of numb, mostly." Keith frowned, his brows knit together almost in confusion. Shifting on his feet, he glanced Adam's way. "How much did you...?"

"Only what I told Duane." Adam told him.

Keith's frown only deepened. "And that would be...?"

"That it's a side effect." Veronica jumped in, flashing Adam an apologetic smile. "Sorry. He only woke up a bit ago. Didn't get much of a chance to brief him."

Nodding his head, Adam looked back towards Keith. "You can trust Commander Holt. He's worked with the Blade of Marmora before."

Keith bit his lip, his eyes darting to the floor. If he hadn't already guessed it, he would say that was as good a confirmation as any that he had _some_ kind of connection to the Blade of Marmora beyond just having one of their knives. He could see it at his waist, the hilt just peeking out from behind his back. From this angle, he couldn't say for sure that it was Marmoran blade, but based on what he'd heard so far, it was hard to think it could be anything else.

Which had to have meant that there had been a Blade of Marmora agent on Earth at some point. One who had left behind a lot more than just a knife.

When he looked back up, he was surprised to find that Keith was meeting his eyes. Although his first instinct was to look away- he didn't want to seem rude, he kept his gaze level instead. That was apparently the right choice, since after a few seconds of awkward silence, Keith abruptly broke eye contact and nodded.

"Let's find somewhere private."

* * *

Keith couldn't help but watch the Commander warily as they made their way to the back end of the complex that served as their current base. This far in, there was almost no one around- and anyone who _was_ around had the sense to give them a wide berth. Based on the glances they sent his way, he was pretty sure they weren't just doing it to be polite.

He pretended he couldn't hear what they were whispering.

Frowning, Keith's hand hovered over his right eye. He should probably find something to cover it with. His vision was unbalanced as it was already, creating a blind spot for himself wouldn't matter much. There wasn't much he could do about the scars, other than to invest in some long sleeves, but he could at least hide his eye.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he met Adam's eyes, the pilot giving him a reassuring smile. Keith gave him a firm nod before quickly looking away. If what Adam said was true, then he probably could trust Commander Holt. He would have had experience not just with the Galra Empire, but those who were actively working to fight against it.

 _Including_ those who were Galra.

Maybe... maybe he might even know something about his mother.

Her knife was like a heavy weight at his back, one that he tried not to think too much about. He wasn't sure how much he even _wanted_ to know about her, but he couldn't deny that he was curious. He'd at least like to know her name so he could have some other way to think of her other than his mother.

That and why she'd left them.

He shook off the thought, thinking instead about what the Holts presence here might mean for him. He'd been surprised when Veronica had told him that the help Adam was seeking was _Garrison_ help- and nervous. He was an unknown variable, and if there was one thing he knew about the admiral, it was that she didn't like taking risks.

Someone who didn't even know their own background definitely sounded like one.

But from what he had gathered, Sam had left without the admiral's permission. He hadn't even told her he was _leaving_ , which seemed like a pretty bold move. Then again, he and his wife _had_ made an illegal international broadcast to tell everyone about what the Garrison was covering up, so maybe bold moves were pretty in character for him.

He couldn't help but wonder again what their kids were like. He already knew that the daughter had faked her identity and snuck into the cadet program, so she at least had inherited her parents' boldness. That was a trait he couldn't help but appreciate, and one that in hindsight, he recognized in Colleen.

And if Adam and Veronica both trusted them... maybe he could too. He'd already trusted Colleen once before, and it had resulted in a steady job and an understanding boss back when he didn't think he deserved either of those things.

All he had to do was to trust her- _them_ \- again.

(Of course, Colleen might look at him in a new light now that it was obvious he was half-Galra, but he tried not to think about that.)

"So have you seen Tsuyoshi?" Colleen suddenly asked.

Flinching at the unexpected question, Keith shook his head. "Not since the invasion. He and his wife were going to look for their daughter and her kids on the other side of the country."

Colleen frowned. "Let's hope they made it."

Biting his lip, he nodded. He kept his eyes and ears open for any sign of them, but so far he hadn't heard anything about the Garrett couple. He hoped that was a good sign, and not a bad one, but he wasn't optimistic enough to fully believe it.

"How much does the Garrison know about what's going on?" Veronica questioned.

"Not much." Sam admitted. "We learn bits and pieces from the few refugees who seek us out, but otherwise we're pretty much in the dark. Admiral Sanda wants us to focus all our attention into finishing the IGF-Atlas."

"The Atlas?" Keith asked.

Sam just glanced back at him with a soft smile. "It's a battleship that I've been working on since before the invasion. It's an infusion of Altean technology with that of our own."

"Oh," Keith frowned, "-sounds tough."

Sam chuckled. "That it is. But that's enough about me. Adam tells me you have something of interest?"

He meant his knife, he recognized. Slowly nodding his head, Keith slowly unsheathed it, hesitating for a few seconds before he held it out. He watched as Sam took in the glowing hilt, before he looked back up towards him, a tight frown that he hoped was of thoughtfulness on his face.

"Where did you get this?" Sam asked.

Keith shrugged. "It used to be my dad's. But I think... I think he got it from my mom."

Colleen's brows arched, quickly understanding the significance of his statement. He fought the urge to sheathe the knife, casting a furtive glance behind them just in case anyone was watching. No one was. They had wandered into a section of the base that was empty save for them.

"You never knew her, did you?" Colleen gently asked.

Shaking his head, Keith stared down at her feet. "No. She left when I was a baby."

"We think she might have been a part of the Blade of Marmora," Adam explained, "-but we can't be sure."

"No, you're probably right." Sam said. "I never heard anything about a Blade being sent to Earth during my time with the paladins, but it wouldn't surprise me. The Galra Empire had the red lion for a time, so they may have been looking for the other lions. It's possible she may have been sent as a scout."

"For the Empire?" Keith asked with a frown, seized with a sudden worry.

"Officially, maybe." Sam said. "Unofficially, no."

Keith felt his shoulders slump in relief. It wasn't quite the same as an official confirmation, but this was the closest thing he could get to one right now. Sheathing the knife, it felt a little lighter at his back than it did before.

His mother _was_ a rebel.

"The druid was after Keith because he thought he was a Blade." Adam said. "We can't be sure that he won't try again now that he's conscious."

"Surely he knows he made a mistake?" Sam frowned.

"I'm not so sure it matters." Veronica said.

"It doesn't." Keith said, recalling what Macidus had said. "He said he wanted to bring me to Sendak."

Sam winced. "It's a good thing he didn't get the chance to. Sendak's a real piece of work."

"So we've gathered." Veronica said dryly.

"The druid said his name was Macidus." Keith provided.

"Macidus." Sam repeated. "So they do have names. And here I just thought they were Haggar's puppets."

Keith blinked, frowning slightly. "Who's Haggar?"

"She's a witch." Sam replied- and in spite of the eyebrow raising nature of that claim, he couldn't find it in himself to doubt something like _space witches_ existed, not after he'd fought off a teleporting, lightning hurling Galra. "Before Zarkon was killed, she used to serve as his right hand. The last I heard of her, she attempted a bid to set up Sendak as a puppet emperor. It failed, of course."

"Lotor took the throne instead, right?" Veronica asked.

"That's right." Sam said, and then, catching his confused expression, gave him a faint smile. "Lotor is Zarkon's son. He _was_ allied with the Voltron Coalition, but something must have happened that caused that alliance to fall apart, because the last thing I heard of him, he'd fought with them and disappeared."

That tugged at something in his memory, but for the life of him, he couldn't recall what.

"Do you think he could have been tricking them?" Keith asked.

"I don't know." Sam admitted. "It's possible. Allying with Voltron _would_ be the fastest way to ensure his father was removed from the throne. I wish I could tell you more."

Maybe he wasn't that great at reading people, but the underlying meaning to Sam's words were obvious even to him. His daughter had disappeared alongside Lotor. If he knew what happened to him, he might know what happened to her.

That forlorn look was mirrored in Colleen's expression. Veronica's too, to no surprise.

What _did_ surprise him was that same expression was also mirrored in Adam's expression. He'd sensed for awhile now that he had some kind of unspoken connection to one of the paladins, but it never seemed to be something he wanted to talk about, so he'd never pressed. Sure enough, when he caught Keith looking, he forced a fake smile, angling his head away so that the tint of his glasses masked his expression.

Maybe it was complicated, Keith decided. It was probably better he didn't ask.

"So how do we beat this thing?" Keith asked, quickly changing the topic.

There was nothing he could do to bring back their missing loved ones. It was better to focus on what he could do instead.

At least, he _hoped_. If he was being realistic, then Macidus seemed pretty hard to beat. It wasn't just the fact that he could hurl lightning- although there was that- but it was the fact that he could _teleport_. How could you even hit something like that?

"It'll be tough." Sam admitted. "But it's been done before. Plus, we have an advantage."

Keith blinked, tilting his head. "Advantage? What advantage?"

"Your knife." Sam said. "It's made out of a material known as luxite. Druids are vulnerable to it."

"So what, it's an allergy or something?" Keith asked.

"No idea." Sam said. "But whatever it is, it works."

"I'm not comfortable with letting Keith fight that thing again." Adam said. "He was in a fever coma for a _month_ , and only just came out of it yesterday. If Veronica hadn't intervened-"

"I can do it." Keith insisted.

"Keith-" Adam began.

"No," Keith cut him off, looking at him square in the eyes, "-Adam, I _need_ to do this."

He didn't know why, but he couldn't shake the feeling that _he_ had to be the one to take out Macidus. Maybe it was just in his blood- the blood of a Galran rebel. Or maybe this was just the only way the felt like he could take responsibility for dragging Veronica's family into this.

Heaving a reluctant sigh, Adam tore his gaze away. "Fine. But you're not doing this alone. We're with you."

Keith felt a smile creep onto his face. He still wasn't sure what he'd done to inspire such devotion, but he'd take it. "I know. And thanks."

"Far be it from me to ruin the moment," Veronica chimed in, "-but I don't think just the knife is going to be enough. We have to come up with an actual plan."

Keith nodded, his right arm involuntarily twitching. He'd succumbed to unconsciousness pretty quickly, but those brief few seconds when he'd been awake enough to feel the druid's electricity coursing through him had been enough. He never wanted to feel anything like that again. It was beyond painful.

Did that mean he would back down? Not a chance in hell.

"No, you're right." Sam nodded, before glancing up- curiously enough, at the electric lights hanging overhead. "But I think I might just have a plan."

* * *

 _"Adam, I_ _ **need**_ _to do this."_

 _"You know how important this is to me. It's worth the risk."_

Heaving a sigh, Adam tore his gaze away from the stars. When he was a child they had held hope and wonder, but they had since lost their shine, long before the Galra even showed up.

He wasn't sure when it started. Was it on launch day, when he let Takashi leave without ever reconciling things between them? Or was it when he'd learned he was dead, smashed into space dust off of Kerberos leaving him without even a body to bury?

He thought that learning Takashi was alive would give them back some of their lost luster, but it hadn't. They were still dull to him. And when the Galra came... well, the only thing the stars held after that was fear. Despair. Hope had gone with Takashi, and he didn't even know where Takashi was.

"You come here often?"

Glancing behind him, Adam made a soft chuckle. "How about you?"

"Mm," Veronica frowned, sitting down next to him, "-I'm not much of one to look at the stars, actually."

"It's been awhile for me too." Adam said.

"So why _are_ you out here?" Veronica asked. Something in her tone suggested that she already knew the reason why.

Frowning, Adam looked away, back up at the stars. He'd come out here for a breath of fresh air- or so he'd said to the sentry posted outside the main gate. In truth, he just wanted to get away for awhile, to try and sort out his thoughts. With Sam's help, their plan to take down the druid was progressing smoothly. It almost sounded like it might _work_.

It still involved putting Keith in danger.

Dropping his gaze, Adam stared out across the vastness of the desert. It seemed to stretch on forever, allowing him to forget for just a moment that they were currently in the midst of a brutal occupation.

Just for a moment, though. Reality always came crashing back.

"You know," Adam began, "-you would think that after Takashi, I'd stop being drawn to self-sacrificing idiots."

Veronica snorted, the edges of her lips quirking up. "Don't let Keith hear you say that."

Adam huffed. "I don't mean that he's an _idiot_ , it's just... he could stand to be less reckless."

Veronica hummed, turning her own gaze skyward. "He says he wants to do it."

"The last time he fought with that thing, it nearly killed him." Adam said. "How do we know this time won't go the same way?"

"We don't." Veronica said. "But we can't stop him."

Adam sighed. "I know. But I wish I could."

"You could try and put your foot down." Veronica suggested. "Maybe he'd listen."

"We both know he wouldn't." Adam said, shaking his head. He was too much like Takashi for that. "All we would do was fight. I don't want that to be my last memory of him."

"Or his last memory of you." Veronica finished. "This is about Shiro, isn't it?"

Adam sighed. "I thought... I knew Takashi had less time than other people, so I guess I thought he might want to spend what time he had with _me_. Make the most of what we had. Looking back on it, I guess I was just being selfish."

"You weren't being selfish." Veronica told him. "And neither was Shiro. Sometimes when people fight, nobody is wrong."

"Would you have stopped him?" Adam asked. "If you knew you could keep Lance from disappearing off into space, but also knew he'd hate you for it, would you?"

Frowning, Veronica seemed to consider the question. "I don't know. They wouldn't all be out there if Lance hadn't found the blue lion, but maybe all that would accomplish would be that Earth would be invaded by the Galra even sooner. And without Voltron..."

She grimaced, touching too close on the subject they had all been trying to avoid. Without Voltron, what chance did they stand? Even if Sam managed to get the Atlas to work, it was still just one ship. Sendak had an _armada_. What could they possibly do against that?

"I don't think there's an easy answer." Veronica said finally.

"No," Adam admitted, "-there really isn't."

"Would be kind of nice if there was, though." Veronica said.

Snorting, Adam quirked a grin. "You could say that again."

Getting to her feet, Veronica glanced down at him. "You coming in?"

Adam shook his head. "I think I'll stay out here awhile longer."

Veronica just shrugged, making her way back to the base. He watched her for a few seconds, before he turned his attention skyward again. The stars looked just as cold and unforgiving as they had before. He doubted that would ever change.

Somewhere, Voltron was out there. _Hope_ was out there.

Takashi was out there.

If it was all the same to the stars, he'd rather have him back.


	13. we are always stronger together

Chapter thirteen! Upon some reflection, I have decided on an end point for this story- it will cover the fight with Macidus, their arrival at the Garrison, and a little bit after that, and then it will be marked as complete. I had planned to include the paladin's arrival in this fic, but now I just feel that structurally, it just makes more sense to make that a sequel. That said, it will be covered, just now in this exact fic! So no worries there!

As always, thanks for reading! Until next update!

* * *

 **flicker**

 **chapter thirteen**

 **we are always stronger together**

* * *

Their plan hit a snag almost immediately.

In all honesty, he should have anticipated something like this. Diverting power in normal situations was no easy task, but in a situation like this, where they had limited resources to pull it off? It was definitely something that should have occurred to him a lot sooner than it had.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Sam gazed across the horizon. There was an electrical substation not far from the location of the resistance base that was mostly intact. It had lost power during the invasion, like so many other places had, but he'd hoped that they might be able to use the energy gathered by the solar panels to get it back into working order, at least for a little while.

Druids might be able to hurl electricity at their whim, but they weren't resistant to outside sources of it. If they could lure this _Macidus_ into the substation and hit him with a high enough voltage... well, it probably wouldn't _kill_ him, but it would definitely do some damage.

"Something wrong?"

Sam started a bit, having half forgotten he wasn't alone. Keith was just so quiet that it was kind of easy to forget he was there.

Looking up at him, Sam shook his head. "I don't think a power transfer is going to work."

Underneath the shadow of his dark hood, Keith's brows furrowed. He didn't know if it had been Adam or Veronica, but someone had scrounged the black hoodie up for him out of the clothing stores the resistance kept. It looked unseasonably warm for this time of year, but it did do a lot to hide his scars- not to mention the eye. Sam suspected it was as much out of necessity as it was out of fear. He couldn't share their concerns, but he could imagine that there were plenty of folks around here who wouldn't be thrilled to have someone with Galra blood hiding out with them.

Unfortunately, he suspected Admiral Sanda might be one of those people.

He was almost certain she had noticed both his and Colleen's absence by now. He had left a note explaining the situation, which she was bound to find, but somehow he didn't think she'd be thrilled with his decision. He'd be lucky if he avoided charges of insubordination when he returned- not that there was any court of law left to try him. But he knew that if he left it up to her, she would never agree to help defeat the druid. Something about it not being their problem.

Nevermind that at some point, it would _definitely_ become their problem. Admiral Sanda might be a competent leader in some respects, but she was plagued by an awful case of tunnel vision. He didn't think she understood just how bad things were out here- and he wasn't just talking about the rest of the planet.

He was talking about the rest of the _universe_.

He couldn't even imagine how bad things had gotten after Voltron disappeared. He knew from Matt's last transmission that the situation had changed, and drastically. Where they once had a secure territory, now both the members of the rebellion and the Blade of Marmora were actively being hunted down. He wasn't even sure if Matt was alive or not, since he hadn't heard anything from him since.

And that wasn't even touching on _Katie_.

Studying Keith, he wondered if he should tell him that. His mother was most likely a member of the Blade of Marmora, though he couldn't say who. He'd only met a handful of Blades during his time working with the Coalition, and most of them had had their masks on. For all he knew, he might have already met Keith's mother, but it was even likelier that he hadn't.

For all he knew, she might not even be alive anymore. Being a Blade was a dangerous job, even before the tide had turned against them yet again.

"That's... bad, right?" Keith asked, shifting on his feet. He'd volunteered to come out here with him, presumably in an attempt to get out of the base for awhile.

He didn't blame him. He'd seen some of the looks people cast his way. It would seem not everyone believed that the change in his appearance was just due to a mere side effect. He wasn't sure if anyone had fully leapt to the conclusion that he was Galra yet, but he didn't doubt that there were people for whom it was right in the back of their minds, just waiting for the right connection to be made.

"It means we'll have to come up with another plan." Sam said. "Unless we can think of another way to power the substation."

Keith squinted, though not due to the bright sun this time. "Adam said something about alien tech working on crystals. What if you had one of those?"

Sam considered it. He wasn't too surprised that Keith was aware of the crystal tech- he _had_ been spending a fair amount of time with Adam and Veronica over these past few months after all. It just felt a little odd having someone with Galra heritage ask him about it, as if he was supposed to be the expert here.

Which, he guessed technically he _was_. Still a bit odd.

"It _could_ work, but in order to get one, I'd have to go back to the Garrison." Sam said truthfully. "And somehow I can't imagine that the Admiral would be willing to let me leave again, crystal or no crystal."

In fact, he was positive that she wouldn't. And without him, they wouldn't stand a chance of retrofitting the substation so that it could even make use of the new power source, rendering everything null and void. It just wouldn't work.

Keith hummed, shifting on his feet again. He'd been resting a hand on one of his belt pouches, and was now running a finger over the flap. "What if you _didn't_ have to go back to the Garrison to get one?"

"Well that would certainly help." Sam said, before frowning. "Are you saying you have one?"

Keith chewed on his lip, before nodding. Digging into the pouch he had been fiddling with, a few seconds later he produced a familiar purple-tinted crystal. Its glow was hard to make out underneath the bright desert sun, but there was no mistaking it for anything Earthly.

It was a Balmeran crystal.

A Galra one, sure, but it was still a crystal.

"Where did you get this?" Sam asked, carefully taking it from him.

"It was what was powering the deep space radio back at my dad's place." Keith shrugged, folding his arms back in front of his chest. "I found it while I was fixing it, so I took it with me when I left. I thought it might come in handy."

There was an entire unspoken story there, played out in how tense Keith's shoulders were. He must have had doubts about his own heritage long before he'd been struck by the druid's lightning. That couldn't have been an easy thing to have to grapple with, especially alone. Colleen had described him as being hesitant to trust people, so he doubted that he would have opened up to anyone about something so personal.

Now that those doubts had been confirmed... well, he had a hard time imagining that it brought him any comfort, given the circumstances.

"Well?" Keith asked, sounding impatient. "Can you use it or not?"

Sam just smiled, sensing he was probably just instinctively being defensive. Based on what he'd heard from Colleen, he'd had a hard time of it even before he'd started doubting his own origins. He couldn't exactly blame him for not being totally comfortable sharing something like this with someone who was essentially a stranger.

"It'll take some work, but I should be able to use it." Sam told him. "But are you sure you want to give it to me?"

Keith just gave him a curt nod. "It wasn't like I was using it."

Sam frowned. It wasn't hard to imagine that the crystal was something that had been left behind by his mother. Based on the fact that it had been used to power a deep space radio of all things, it seemed to suggest that she'd had plans of coming back one day- or at the very least, that was what his father had hoped for. Using the crystal to power the radio would have not only given it an extended range, but it would also have ensured that with a little maintenance, it could keep the radio powered almost indefinitely.

"In that case, I'll put it to good use." Sam promised, pocketing the crystal. "Any chance you think I can ask someone for a ride to the substation?"

"In broad daylight?" Keith asked, arching a brow. "Probably not."

"Good point." Sam said, pushing himself up into a standing position. "Should we head back inside? I imagine people will want to be briefed on the change of plans."

Keith's eyes narrowed, the amusement he had shown just seconds ago vanishing in an instant. "Right. Sure."

"I can tell them I brought the crystal from the Garrison, if you'd prefer." Sam offered.

Keith blinked, like he hadn't expected him to lie for him. "...thanks."

"Don't mention it." Sam smiled. "Come on, let's see if we can get down from here."

Keith just nodded, trailing behind him. He waited until Sam had gotten all the way down before descending himself, making it look almost effortless. He couldn't help but wonder if that was the Galra blood- or if it was just the difference in their ages. He wasn't exactly as young as he used to be. Kerberos was supposed to have been his last deep space mission.

It had turned out to be one heck of a last mission.

But he'd survived it. And if an old man like him could survive the perils of deep space, then so could his kids, and the rest of the paladins, for that matter. He just had to keep believing in that.

Voltron _would_ come.

The real trick, Sam thought, was staying alive until then.

* * *

Keith hovered off to the side as Sam gave Duane and Jackson the latest update, trying not to draw any attention to himself. He only stuck around for long enough to make sure Sam lied about where he'd gotten the crystal from, before he'd made himself scarce. He didn't think anyone noticed him leave- if they did, they didn't say anything.

Adam and Veronica were both busy- they'd both volunteered for recon missions today, hoping to catch a glimpse of Macidus. He'd tried to go with them, but his offer had been turned down, supposedly based on the fact that he was still recovering. He'd tried to protest that he was already feeling better, but they weren't having it. He was pretty sure that wasn't the only reason they'd refused, but he'd been forced to abide by it.

Veronica had left Rachel to shadow him, but he'd managed to shake her off. It wasn't like he didn't appreciate their concern, but right now it just felt smothering.

He still grimaced as he felt eyes on him, and had to fight the urge to tug his hood down lower so that it shadowed more of his face. Instead he opted to make a beeline for where they kept their medical supplies, exchanging a brief nod with the person in charge of keeping stock. They didn't stop him as he rifled through them in search of something he could use to cover his eye, but they definitely were keeping an eye on him. He wasn't sure if there was animosity in their gaze or not- maybe there was, or maybe he was just imagining it.

It was hard _not_ to.

Sure, it wasn't like anyone other than Adam, the Holts, and Veronica and presumably her family knew about his Galra heritage, but everyone here knew he was weird already. He wasn't sure how Adam's excuse of this all just being one big side effect of the druid's magic would last. They had Sam to back it up, sure, but again- he wasn't sure for how long.

When they reached the Garrison...

He huffed slightly, shoving the thought aside. He had to focus on staying alive _now_ , before he could worry about the Garrison. If he didn't do something about Macidus, he was bound to come after him again.

If it was going to happen anyways, he'd rather have a plan. He'd rather not find out what Sendak wanted from him.

Spotting what he was looking for, Keith grabbed it before he could change his mind. Holding it up to show to the person in charge, they merely arched their brows, but said nothing against it. He tried to recall their name in vain, so instead of thanking them, he just nodded his head back and hurried away before they could change their mind.

Was being bad at remembering names a Galra thing? Probably not. That was probably just a Keith thing.

(He wasn't sure if that was comforting or not.)

The curtains were still in place around his bedroll, so he ducked into them for a little privacy. Lowering his hood, Keith studied his spoils- a box of disposable gauze eyepatches. It wasn't just to hide his eye, he told himself- it was also to help with how light sensitive his right eye had become. His vision was already unbalanced now anyways, losing his depth perception was a small price to pay for fixing it. Besides, he could just remove it if he really needed to see out of both eyes.

Brushing his bangs aside, Keith put the patch on, hooking the strings around his ears. Using the hand mirror Rachel had left behind to check if everything was in order, Keith raised his hood again. With both it and the eyepatch, he looked almost normal.

 _Almost_.

Shoving the box into his pack with the rest of his things, Keith heaved a sigh. Collapsing on his bedroll, he absently pulled out his knife. His _mother's_ knife, he corrected himself, as if that would make its weight in his hands stop feeling comforting and familiar. It was a total disconnect from how he had started to think of it, and it could be... disconcerting. He'd rewrapped the bandages, but it didn't help. It wasn't enough to make him forget that his father's heirloom, the one thing of his that he had managed to cling to all throughout foster care turned out to not only not be his, but to be downright _alien_.

Just like him.

Narrowing his eyes, he shoved the knife back in his sheath. At least now he understood why he'd never managed to fit in anywhere.

Lying down on his side on his bedroll, he stared up at his right hand, carefully flexing his fingers. He'd been lucky enough to find another pair of fingerless gloves, so he couldn't see too much of the purple that scarred his hand, save for the bit that crept up his ring finger, tinting the bottom half of his fingernail a translucent purple. He picked at it slightly, wondering if it would grow back in a more normal human color if he removed the entire nail, before quickly deciding that was a _terrible_ idea.

He was bothered by the change in his appearance, he wasn't going to lie. But he wasn't _rip off his own nails_ bothered by it. It wasn't ideal, but he could manage.

Probably.

* * *

"You're back."

Pivoting on his heel, Keith let out a gasp. He must have fallen asleep, because that was the only explanation for him being here again.

Wherever _here_ was.

The scenery hadn't changed any from the last time he was here. The starry sky was still tinted a deep red color, seemingly stretching on forever. It was strange, given that he barely remembered it when he was awake, but here, given over to unconsciousness, the memories came back with barely any prompting. He'd been free of any strange dreams during the past two days, his usual sleep pattern showing signs of return- but he guessed he wasn't done with this place yet.

Or with _her_.

He could see her better this time, her form no longer a vague silhouette. She was younger than he'd thought, probably not any older than he was. Her long white hair contrasted with her own dark skin, and though at first glance she looked human, a closer inspection revealed that she was something else. She wore some kind of weird armor with white and red plating, with a bright red emblem emblazoned onto the center of the chest plate. He'd definitely seen it before, in that white void, but his memories of that place were more fragmented, scattered.

It didn't matter if he could see her properly this time, he caught himself thinking. He'd probably just forget all about what transpired here, just like he'd forgotten the contents of all of his other dreams.

Only he wasn't so sure now that they were actually _dreams_.

"Looks like it." Keith finally replied, half surprised he could even talk. "You... saved me, right?"

"I could sense your suffering." She said. "I have sensed you for awhile now, actually, though never quite like this."

Keith's brow crinkled. "How?"

None of this made any sense to him. He didn't think it was something he could chalk up to weird alien stuff- nothing like this had ever happened to him before. No, this was clearly something else.

"I do not know." She admitted, shaking her head. "I only know that we are linked, somehow."

 _Linked_. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but he refrained from saying that out loud. He was so bad at forming connections with people that he couldn't imagine being psychically linked with another person.

Figured they'd be an _alien_ , though.

That thought tugged at something in his memory, something Adam had said to him in the early days of the invasion. He'd half forgotten it until now, seeing as it had never come up again.

 _"I think the red lion is flown by some kind of alien princess."_

Staring at the young woman, Keith shifted slightly on his feet. She definitely _looked_ like a princess, with her flowing white hair and the tiara on her brow. And these weird dreams had only started _after_ he'd paid a visit to the cave where the blue lion had once been hidden, so it wasn't so farfetched to think that they might have some kind of connection to Voltron.

But still, why _him_? And why the red lion? If he was going to psychically connect with any paladin, it should have been the _blue_ lion's, not the red.

"Are you," Keith heard himself begin to ask, "-are you a paladin?"

"I am." She replied. "I am Princess Allura, of the planet Altea."

 _Allura_. A name to a face, as much as it was a confirmation.

The planet she mentioned was vaguely familiar too. Altea was the planet where all the alien tech that Sam worked with for the Garrison had come from. He didn't know much else about it other than that, but he was pretty sure they were supposed to be enemies of the Galra. He tensed, wondering what he looked like to the princess. He hadn't sensed any hostility from her, so maybe...

A quick glance down at his right hand dashed his hopes, purple scarring visible in places his clothes didn't quite manage to cover. Clenching his fist, he looked across the vast expanse of space over towards the princess, wondering if that was the reason she seemed to be keeping her distance.

As if reading his mind, the edges of her lips ghosted into a smile. "You do not have to be so concerned. While I cannot say why the red lion has linked the two of us, I doubt it would have invited an enemy in. Please, be at ease."

Keith felt some of his tension leave his shoulders, though not all of it. Dimly aware that she was probably waiting for him to return the favor of introducing herself, he exhaled.

"I'm Keith." He introduced himself. "Keith Kogane. Of Earth."

Allura blinked, visibly surprised by his claim. "You are from Earth?"

Keith just nodded, knowing what that must have sounded like. If she was the alien princess Adam had mentioned, then she'd probably dealt with humans before. After all, the rest of the paladins were-

Jerking his head up, Keith's eyes went wide. That's right- the paladins! Right now, everyone thought they had vanished, maybe even died, but they couldn't have, not if he was speaking to one right now. And if Allura was alive, then maybe...

"I need to tell you something." Keith said. "Something important."

"I'm listening." Allura said.

"It's about Earth." Keith told her. "It's-"

The words fell away from his throat, and with a violent jerk, Keith was thrown into wakefulness. Blinking wildly, still half-caught between his dream and reality, he had difficulty making out just what was going on. All he knew was that there was a lot of noise- specifically, someone shouting.

 _Swearing_ , Keith corrected himself. Someone was swearing. Loudly.

At him.

Gradually, he became aware of the knife in his hands, for a split second fearing the worst, until he realized it was merely being held defensively. Adam was there too, his knee pressed up against someone's back as he kept them pinned down, their wrists secured. They were the ones doing all the swearing, Keith realized- and it wasn't hard to guess why, not based on the way they glared at him.

It was like he was the scum of the Earth.

"The eye is proof!" The man yelled. He now vaguely recognized him as a member of the resistance, but he failed to put a name to the face. "He's one of _them_! A traitor!"

Keith's stomach churned, the reality of what had almost happened slowly dawning on him. He'd been half expecting something like this since realizing he was Galra, just not so _soon_. He felt sick looking at the knife on the floor- a standard hunting knife, useless against sentries, but more than capable of slitting an unsuspecting throat in the middle of the night.

He'd tried to _kill_ him.

His heart pounding heavily in his ears, Keith sheathed his own knife, standing up in the same jerky motion. He suddenly felt cold, like he'd been plunged into a tub full of ice, the blood in his veins freezing. His breath hitched in his throat to the point where he nearly choked on it, and probably would have, if the commotion hadn't drawn the right people to his aid.

Throwing back the curtains, Veronica took one look at the situation and quickly went over to his side, tentatively resting a hand on his shoulder. "Keith?"

His breath coming back in a rush, Keith shuddered, the chill leaving with it. "I'm okay."

"Don't defend him!" His would-be assassin yelled. "He-!"

"Oh put a sock in it already, would you!" Shoving back the curtains, a deeply annoyed Duane glowered down at the man. His expression turned far more grim as his gaze fell on the hunting knife, quickly putting two and two together and realizing that the situation was much more severe than just someone making a lot of racket.

Instantly, Keith felt himself tense. For her part, Veronica stepped defensively in front of Keith, clearly anticipating more trouble. Duane took one look between the three of them, before he heaved a long sigh.

"Haul him to his feet." Duane said, gesturing to the would-be killer. "We'll figure out something to do with him."

"You should be _thanking_ me." The man hissed.

"Thanking you?" Duane asked. "For trying to kill a _kid_? I don't think so, mate."

"He's-"

"He's one of the best we got, that's what he is." Duane finished, his tone making it perfectly clear that he didn't want to hear anything more. "We don't have a chance in hell of taking out that druid without him, so you be best keeping your ideas to yourself. You and any friends you might have."

The man glowered at Duane, but he still kept his mouth shut.

Adam hauled him to his feet, making sure to keep his wrists pinned. "What should I do with him?"

"Take him to Jackson for now." Duane instructed. "We've got some zip ties lying around. Use those to tie this bastard up. We'll sort out what to do once things calm down a bit."

Adam nodded, exchanging a look with Veronica. She returned it, giving him a curt nod of her head. He then dropped his gaze, looking down towards him, mouthing a silent apology, though for what, Keith had no idea. He imagined they'd talk later.

Duane shook his head as Adam left. "We lost his sister in that raid a month ago. Guess he's looking for someone to blame."

Keith bit down on his lip. He hadn't known anyone had died during that raid. Given that it had been one whole big trap for him, he couldn't even say the man's sentiments were entirely misplaced. He might not be a traitor, but he was definitely responsible for getting his sister killed.

"That's no excuse for trying to _kill_ Keith." Veronica snapped.

"No." Duane admitted, shaking his head. "It's not."

Fixing his gaze on the floor, Keith clenched his fists. "Maybe I should just leave."

This would just happen again if he didn't, and the last thing the resistance needed was discord sown between its members. Besides, if he left, he'd take the druid problem with him. The last thing he wanted was to be a burden on anyone, much less people he actually cared about. He'd been enough of one growing up as it was.

"No." Veronica said firmly, her grip on his shoulder tightening. "Don't say that."

Looking up at her, Keith opened his mouth to say something, only to quickly snap it shut once he caught sight of the look in her eyes. Veronica and Adam cared about him. If he left, they would probably never see him again even _if_ he survived. All he would be then is another important person in their lives who had just disappeared, and they had enough of those already.

Just like his mother who had disappeared on him.

Suddenly leaving felt like a lot less of an option.

"Veronica's right." Duane said. "Nobody has to go anywhere. I'll deal with this."

Keith frowned, looking over at Duane. He couldn't help but wonder how much he suspected. He was tempted to ask, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He wasn't sure what kind of answer he even _wanted_.

"You'd better." Veronica said.

"I will." Duane said firmly. "If anything else happens, just give me a shout."

He left then, though not before picking up the forgotten hunting knife. Only once he was gone, did Keith feel himself relax- maybe a little _too_ much. Still reeling from what had almost happened, his knees buckled. Sinking to the floor, he drew in a long breath, holding it for several seconds before slowly letting it out.

He didn't expect Veronica to do the exact same thing.

"So... what happened?" Keith finally asked.

Veronica shook her head. "Adam and I had just returned from our recon mission when he caught sight of someone coming into your area. He ran to see what was happening, and-"

She stopped herself short, taking in a big breath. "I'm just- I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'm fine." Keith assured her, even if he felt a little shaky still.

Sure, this wasn't exactly his first brush with death, but almost being killed by a druid and almost being killed by another human were two completely different things. Guess he was right to be worried about whether or not people would start to see him as the enemy. Word of his heritage wasn't even out yet, but people were already starting to draw their own conclusions.

He still felt kind of sick. He'd called him a traitor, referred to him as one of _them_. He wasn't. He was Galra, sure, but Earth was his home. He would never betray it.

Veronica said nothing, just throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace. He frowned, arms hovering awkwardly in the air, before he slowly returned the gesture. He usually wasn't much of one for hugging, but, well... it kind of felt like she could really use one right now.

They stayed like that for a short while, before Veronica pulled herself away. "Sorry. Not sure what came over me."

"You don't have to apologize." Keith told her. "And... thanks. For saving me."

This was the second time someone had stepped in to save him. He couldn't shake the feeling that he just wasn't worth all the trouble.

"Thank Adam." Veronica said. "He got here first."

"I will." Keith said. "What happened to Colleen? And Commander Holt?"

"They went out to check the substation, apparently." Veronica told him. "They should be back before dawn."

Keith blinked. It must have already been night then, even though it had only been early afternoon when he'd returned to his bedroll. He must have slept for a lot longer than he thought, which could only mean one thing- he'd been dreaming again, one of the weird ones. Biting down on his lip, he tried to recall what it had been about, but once again, the details escaped him. He could just vaguely remember a person's silhouette, and the feeling that he needed to tell them something important, but what that was, he couldn't recall.

"Didn't think you were the type for naps." Veronica remarked.

"I'm not." Keith said. "It's just been a weird few days."

Veronica huffed. "Can't dispute that."

Keith just smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. He kept thinking about the hunting knife, about how easy it would have been for him to slit his throat while he slept- or would have been, if he hadn't unconsciously reacted. Reaching behind him, he rested a hand on the hilt of his knife, wondering exactly what would have happened if Adam hadn't intervened. Would he really have been killed, or...?

He shook it off, trying not to think about it. He'd always been a light sleeper, for as long as he remembered. Foster care had just honed that, until even the slightest out of place sound became enough to wake him up. He just usually didn't reach for his knife while when he did so.

Then again, no one had ever tried to kill him in his sleep before either.

* * *

"Well, we've got him ziptied to a pole for now," Adam announced as he entered, "-but I'm not sure how long we can keep him that way."

Keith looked up at him, and he noted for the first time that he was wearing a gauze patch over his right eye. He hadn't noticed it earlier, but things had been pretty hectic. He could understand Keith's desire to try and hide it- today's incident would have only cemented that desire.

It shouldn't have to be that way, Adam thought. Keith might be Galra, but he wasn't one of them. He was just as human as everyone else here was.

"How are Duane and Jackson taking this?" Veronica asked, a tight frown set on her lips.

"Seriously." Adam said, taking a seat next to the two, since everyone seemed to be sitting down. "Either they're both good actors, or they mean what they say."

"Good." Veronica nodded. "But we don't know if he was acting alone or not."

"Duane said he lost his sister," Keith said, his tone quiet, "-in the raid."

Adam narrowed his eyes. He did recall that they had lost someone in their attempt to rescue Rachel, but he hadn't stopped to think if that person had family. He'd been so focused on Keith and his deteriorating condition that he hadn't paid attention to much else.

In hindsight, that may have been a mistake.

"It doesn't matter what his reasons are." Adam said firmly. "He was serious about killing you. That's not something we can just overlook."

Keith said nothing to that, instead staring at his feet. Heaving a sigh, Adam ran a hand through his hair, wondering what he should say in a situation like this. To be honest, he was still feeling the aftereffects of adrenaline, his heart hammering loudly enough in his chest that it was a miracle nobody could hear it.

"How about we both stay here tonight?" Adam finally asked. "Just in case he wasn't working alone."

"It's fine. You don't have to protect me." Keith shook his head. "I don't think I'm going to be sleeping much tonight anyways."

"Maybe we don't _have_ to," Adam said, "-but we _want_ to."

"Adam's right." Veronica said. "You're worth protecting."

Keith blinked, like he hadn't expected to hear something like that. He couldn't help but let it tug on his heartstrings- exactly what had he gone through that had left him feeling like he wasn't worth the trouble? It was more than just the shock of discovering his heritage- this was rooted in something deeper, _older_.

He was starting to wish Takashi hadn't missed him on recruitment day.

"Okay." Keith's voice cracked slightly as he spoke, almost as if he was trying to hold back tears. But when he looked up, his eyes were dry. "You can stay."

Exchanging a look with Veronica, Adam knew she was thinking the same thing she was. That no matter what happened, no matter what was thrown at them, be it by the Galra or their own allies, they would make it out of this alive- and together.

Takashi used to have a saying- he had a lot of sayings, actually. But the one that stuck with Adam the most was the one he always told the cadets when they were assigned a flight crew for their first time, and were nervous and apprehensive about working together with complete strangers. Some didn't want to work together with other people at all, didn't see the point.

To them, Takashi always had just one thing to say.

 _We are always stronger together._

And they would be, Adam thought. Sticking together had gotten them this far- and he knew that if they just all stuck together, they would make it to the end of this war.


	14. make a stand, humans

Ah, the long awaited chapter fourteen! I think I will actually be taking a short hiatus from writing fic for awhile now that this chapter is done- in part because I have a short vacation coming up with limited internet access, but more because I strained my shoulder and I need time to recover. Alas, sometimes that's just how life works out. Hopefully I'll feel better soon and won't need to go to the doctor, since that's never fun.

Thanks for reading!

* * *

 **flicker**

 **chapter fourteen**

 **make a stand, humans**

* * *

The sunrise that morning was beautiful.

He tried to think back to the day of the invasion, trying to recall if the sunrise had been just as stunning then, but drew a blank. So much had happened over these past few months, that it all started to blur together- both the mundane occurrences and the important events. It felt like so much longer than it actually had been- as if it had been _years_ since the Galra had invaded, and not just a mere handful of months.

But today was different.

Today they would strike back against the Galra Empire- and with any luck, they might even win.

Unsheathing his knife, Keith stared down at it. He kept thinking that it should feel heavy and unfamiliar now that he knew what it was, but it didn't. There was something grounding about it, even though he now knew it was a Galra weapon.

But if what Sam said was true, then it was also the weapon of a _rebel_.

"You know we don't have to go through with this." Adam said, resting a light hand on his shoulder. "We can think of another plan."

Keith looked up at him. "I know. But I need to do this, Adam."

Someone had to take out the druid- and it might as well be him. Macidus said that the whole reason he was here was because Sendak thought there was a Blade on Earth, but there wasn't. There was just him. Which meant that _he_ was the whole reason the druid had come here in the first place.

All the more reason why he had to be the one to take it out.

And frankly... he was probably their best bet. He might have done miserably against the druid the last time they had fought- he wouldn't have made it out of there if it weren't for Veronica's quick thinking- but he was still the best fighter the resistance had. Plus he was Galra, the alien blood that flowed through his veins the whole reason why he had always been so athletic and quick. If there was anyone that stood a chance against Macidus, it was him.

"I had a feeling that was what you would say." Adam said, heaving a slight sigh. "Just remember- you aren't doing this alone. We're all right here with you."

Keith felt himself smile, turning his head to look back behind him. Veronica caught his gaze, pausing from loading supplies into their transport to wave at him. He awkwardly lifted a hand, giving her a little wave back, before he turned back to Adam.

"I know." He said. "And I can't thank you enough for that."

Not just for having his back in this fight, but for so many other things as well. For sticking with him when they had learned he was Galra, and for just... for just _being_ there. He still wasn't sure if he deserved all the fuss, but he was slowly starting to accept that maybe if there were this many people around him who cared about him, then maybe he actually _was_ worth something after all.

"You don't need to thank me for anything." Adam told him, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "Now come on. Let's go teach that druid whose planet this is."

Keith just nodded, sheathing his knife. Maybe he was part Galra, but he was part human too. Earth was his planet, his _home_. He wasn't going to let it be overrun by invaders.

Today, he would protect it.

It, and the people he cared about.

* * *

"Sir, we're receiving reports of a disturbance in Sector Zeta."

Sendak frowned, turning towards the screen. There was smoke rising from one section of their encampment there. The damage did not look great, but fixing it would still set them slightly behind schedule. Sector Zeta was _also_ the outpost closest to the Earthling base being protected by the particle barrier, as well as the sector that the Blade had once been active in. There had been no new reports of activity since Macidus had fought them, so he had been under the assumption that the Blade had perished, or was otherwise incapacitated. The druid had been tightlipped about the matter, but his lingering presence on the planet made him inclined to think it was the latter.

Still, this could simply be the work of those pitiful human rebels. They had been quiet since their raid on the nearby work camp, but he anticipated it wouldn't last. They were simply biding their time, waiting for their next chance to strike.

This time, he would show them no mercy.

"Lieutenant," Sendak began, turning to Hepta, "-send the closest cruiser to the area. Whatever this disturbance is, I want it wiped out."

"There is no need."

Narrowing his eyes, Sendak turned to face the druid. He hadn't even noticed it come aboard. It must have been attracted by the chaos.

"Please, by all means tell me why you think I shouldn't squash this pitiful rebellion once and for all." Sendak said, looming over the druid. It would seem that Macidus needed to be reminded which of them was in charge here.

It did nothing to intimidate the foul creature, but he did not expect it to.

"Your stray Blade is there." Macidus said. "I can sense it."

"That is all the more reason why I should crush them, here and now." Sendak said. "Since it would seem that you have failed in your one assigned task after all."

"Not failed." Macidus said, unruffled by his accusation. "Merely delayed. By the end of this quintant, you shall have your Blade, and I shall be well on my way to deal with the rest of their mutinous lot."

Sendak frowned. If what the druid said was true, then he could finally be free of its presence. But by his own words, he'd already failed his assigned task once- who was to say that the same failure wouldn't occur this time? He never should have failed in the first place- were he under his direct command, he would have had him put to the death for suffering such a shameful defeat. Though Macidus had been just as tightlipped in regards to the details of their battle, he knew that much must have been true.

How difficult could it possibly be for a druid to slay a single Blade? The only Blade he knew of that could possibly give him that much trouble was Kolivan himself, and Sendak doubted that the Blade leader would be rotting away on such a remote planet when his ilk were being hunted down and slaughtered by druids as they spoke.

Perhaps if they fought again, it would be Macidus who would be slaughtered instead. Then, at the very least, he would be out of sight. The druid had long since overstayed his welcome, and he was confident he was more than capable of handling a single Blade himself. It had been a mistake to call the High Priestess for assistance in the first place.

"Sir?" Hepta called. "Should I tell the cruiser to intercept?"

"No." Sendak said. "We will let Macidus deal with them."

He couldn't tell with the mask on, but Sendak was almost positive the druid was smiling. "Excellent. You will not be disappointed, Commander."

"See to it that I am not." Sendak said firmly.

"Vrepit sa." In one fluid motion, Macidus bowed, before disappearing in the blink of an eye. Sendak scowled at where he'd been standing, almost positive that Macidus had been mocking him.

He had great respect for the High Priestess, but he did not understand why she surrounded herself with the druids. Perhaps it was simply a weakness inherent in her Altean blood. At least unlike her son, she remained unfailingly loyal to the Galra Empire, and to Emperor Zarkon, even well after his death. And it was they, who had remained steadfastly loyal to the memory of their greatest emperor, that would triumph in the end. Nothing would stand in their way- not the Blade of Marmora, the rebels, or Voltron.

He would see to it personally.

Victory or death.

* * *

"Think they took the bait?"

"Guess we're about to find out." Keith said, staring off into the distance. Even from here he could see the smoke rising from the Galra encampment. They had used explosives to blast a hole in the side of it, making sure to avoid any sections where there might be human workers. They'd also used up their entire supply of explosives to do it, but if things worked out as planned, they would get the chance to resupply very soon.

And if they didn't... well, a few explosives would be the least of their problems.

"Are you sure this will be enough to draw their attention?" Adam asked.

"We blew a huge hole in their wall." Veronica said flatly. "Someone's bound to have noticed _that_."

Keith snorted, then wondered if anyone could hear that over the coms. Sam had rigged together some earpieces for them to use for communication, capable of working at a fairly long range. Adam and Veronica were both already stationed at the substation with the Holts- he was the only one who was standing out in the open, waiting.

At this rate, the tension might just kill him before the druid could.

"Alright, fair enough." Adam said. "And I heard that, Keith."

In spite of himself, Keith felt the edge of his lips twitch upwards. "Hear what? I didn't say anything."

He could almost picture Adam squinting on the other end of the line, something that did actually manage to bring a smile to his face. Being able to hear the others reminded him that he wasn't alone in this fight- there were other people, all of whom had his back. Suddenly, the tension didn't feel quite so bad.

"When we get back, we're going to have to have a serious talk about respecting your elders." Adam joked, and then, in a much more serious tone, added, "-just remember to be careful."

"You've only told me that a thousand times now." Keith said. "But thanks."

Closing his eyes, Keith drew in a deep breath. All he was doing was waiting for Macidus to find him. He wasn't sure why, but he was almost positive that he'd be able to. Then all he had to was survive until they reached the substation, where he could lure him into their trap. Hopefully it worked like Sam planned, because otherwise...

...well, he didn't know if he could defeat it on his own.

Opening his eyes, he frowned slightly at the hoverbike he was on. It was one of the few that the resistance owned, and wasn't in bad shape- but frankly, he'd be more comfortable on his own. Unfortunately, that was no longer an option- not after he'd blown it up trying to get rid of any pursuers the last time he'd been involved in a big operation. He'd been trying not to think about it, but now he couldn't help but feel a stab of regret.

It hadn't just been any hoverbike. It was his _father's_ hoverbike.

And now it was gone.

Drawing in a deep breath, Keith steadied himself. If he didn't defeat Macidus, then it truly would have been in vain.

He didn't have to wait long before he heard the tell tale high pitched ring of his knife. Knowing what it was now, its reaction to Macidus' presence made a lot more sense. According to Sam, the material it was made out of was antithetical to the druids, though he wasn't sure why. Veronica had seen as much herself- when Macidus had moved to pick it up, it had burned him.

Had his mother known he'd need it like this one day? Was that why she had left it with his dad? Sam made it sound like these knives were pretty important to a Blade, so it was hard to imagine that she would just leave it behind on a whim.

But then, he didn't even know the first thing about her.

As soon as the knife started to ring, Keith turned his hoverbike around, blazing off in the other direction. He paused only once to glance behind him, just in time to see Macidus manifest, seemingly from thin air. Just like he thought, he had to have some kind of teleporting ability- which was going to make things difficult.

Speeding up, he could hear Macidus teleport almost directly behind him. He sounded like he was laughing, and Keith realized that he was probably toying with him. Normally that would have ticked him off, but in this case, it actually worked in his favor. If he wasn't taking him seriously, then it meant he'd have an easier time luring him right into their trap.

Of course, there was _also_ the chance that the reason Macidus was toying with him was because he already knew about the trap, and knew it wouldn't work. The thought settled in his stomach like an uneasy stone, but he refused to let it become anything more than that. He couldn't start having doubts now.

Switching to flying in a zigzag pattern to make his movements harder to predict, he blitzed across the desert landscape, towards the substation. It wasn't a long journey- less than a mile, but it felt like it was taking forever. He kept glancing at the rearview mirror, checking on Macidus movements- sure enough, the druid was teleporting right after him. He'd seemed so _wrong_ during their first encounter, in the ruins of the destroyed skyscraper with only a small amount of light filtering in. But here, in broad daylight?

Yeah, this was definitely worse.

He pushed the hoverbike as fast as it would go. He could hear the engine protest, but he ignored it. He only needed it to last for the length of a mile- anything after that didn't matter. He was just glad that he'd taken off the eyepatch beforehand, because as bright as the sun was to his right eye, it was still a lot easier to maneuver when he had actual peripheral vision. His goggles protected him from the worst of the bright sunlight, but he was starting to understand why the Galra encampment was so _dark_ inside.

"There's nowhere to run, halfbreed."

Eyes going wide, Keith jerked the hoverbike hard to the right. Macidus had appeared almost right in front of him, barely giving him enough time to avoid a head-on collision with the druid. Swearing underneath his breath, he barely managed to keep control over the hoverbike, only to be forced to quickly shift directions again, Macidus' taunting form appearing far too close for comfort. This time he did lose control, just barely managing to ditch the hoverbike before _he_ was the one crashing, not it.

Almost instantly, he was on his feet, his knife in his hands. He couldn't see Macidus, but he swore he could _feel_ him- like a cold presence at the back of his neck.

The druid flashed into existence a few feet away from him, and even though he couldn't see his face, his mockery came through clearly in his voice. "I see you've changed somewhat since we last met."

Keith grit his teeth, trying not to bristle at the druid's taunt. It was _his_ fault he looked like this now. _His_ fault that he'd been forced to come to terms with the fact that he wasn't- and had never been- fully human. All of this was because of _him_.

But it was also because of him that he understood now just how much Adam and Veronica cared about him. He could taunt him all he wanted, but he wasn't alone now. Using that thought to ground him, Keith let out a breath- and then hastily sheathed his knife, turning on his heel to run. The substation was in sight, now- he could make it on foot. He didn't care if it made it painfully obvious that he was trying to lead him somewhere- he had a feeling that Macidus would follow regardless. He'd been toying with him, after all.

Well, he was going to make damn sure that he lived just long enough to regret it.

* * *

Macidus watched the boy flee with the faintest of chuckles.

It was all too obvious that the halfbreed had some kind of plan. That much had been made clear when he'd found him waiting for him, completely out in the open. After how their last encounter had ended, a wise man would have tried to remain in hiding- so either the whelp was just as foolish as his human cohorts, or he had some kind of plan.

So be it. He would look forward to crushing whatever pitiful plan he'd concocted- and his hopes with it.

He would then fulfill his original goal of bringing him to Sendak- but not before he wiped out whatever human companions he had brought with him, and forced him to watch. It had been pure luck that they had managed to stop him the first time- it wasn't going to happen again.

Provided he still even _had_ allies, of course, after his Galra lineage had been made so plain to see. It wasn't a result that he had been expecting- he'd merely electrocuted him in order to force him to lose consciousness. But clearly, the mixture of human and Galra blood resulted in some interesting- and unexpected- effects.

How curious. It was a shame that Sendak would surely kill the boy, because otherwise he would be quite interested in cracking him open himself, in order to find out just what it was that made it so. Perhaps he could make an arrangement with the Commander...

...or perhaps not.

Either way, he was going to enjoy this.

* * *

"Keith's on his way!"

Adam looked up, hurriedly joining Veronica at the window. From there, they had a good view of the desert that stretched beyond them. Even without the binoculars, he could see that she was right- there was a streak of dust off into the distance that could only be from a hoverbike.

"Is the-?"

He got his answer a few seconds later, and for the first time, he saw the druid for himself. Even from this distance, it sent a chill down his spine, the way the dark figure just seemed to manifest from out of nowhere. Veronica had mentioned that it had vanished after she'd used the flash bomb, and Keith had said it seemed to be able to teleport, but actually seeing that for himself... part of him had to wonder if they weren't in over their heads.

But they couldn't back out now.

"Keep watch." Adam said. "I'll alert Sam."

Veronica nodded, but didn't so much as turn to look his way, her gaze fixed on the streak of dust. He couldn't blame her. He didn't want to tear his eyes away either, but he knew he had to. There was a lot riding on the success of this plan, not the least of which was Keith's _life_ \- and the faster Sam got ready, the more likely it was that Keith would survive this.

He wanted to be sure his odds were as even as they could possibly get.

He hurriedly made his way through the substation, careful not to trip over anything. He'd never been more grateful that his leg had healed properly than he was now- the only thing worse than sending Keith into danger, was sending him into danger while he just sat back and did nothing. Waiting for both him and Veronica to come back after the raid on the Galra work camp had been maddening, each second that ticked by after the rest of the raid party returned eating away at him.

In the end, his worst fears had been proven very, very real.

He wasn't going to let that happen again. They were going to get through this- _all_ of them.

* * *

Macidus was definitely toying with him.

Skidding to a halt inside the substation, Keith paused for a second to catch his breath. It might be the Galra blood that gave him his endurance and stamina, but right now, he couldn't help but be thankful for it. Yanking off his goggles, he tossed them aside, searching the darkened facility for where he was supposed to go. Sam had gone over everything with him the previous day, but now that the plan was actually in action, he found himself drawing a blank.

He couldn't hear anyone speaking over the coms, either- a quick check of his ear revealed that his earpiece had fallen out. It must have happened when he crashed the hoverbike.

"Done running so soon?"

Pivoting on his heel, Keith drew his knife again, glaring at Macidus. The druid was floating some feet away from him, electricity crackling menacingly in his hands.

God, he hoped Sam was right.

"Who said anything about running?" Keith asked. "Maybe I'm right where I want to be."

"Oh, I'm sure you think you are." Macidus said, floating just a bit closer. "But whatever tricks you and your pitiful human friends have in store, I can assure you, it won't work."

"We'll just see about that." Keith said, before lunging at the druid.

Macidus easily evaded his blow, simply teleporting away. Instantly, Keith spun on his heel, his eyes scanning the facility for where he might have gone to. He was barely able to avoid the blast of electricity in time, rolling out of harm's way. Springing to his feet, he moved deeper into the facility, but didn't have time to get far when Macidus teleported directly into his path.

At least this time, his quick reflexes didn't fail him. He made a defensive slice with his knife, forcing the druid back. For a second, he thought he'd gotten him- before he realized it was just his mask he'd cut. It cracked in half, revealing eerie, glowing yellow eyes, combined with blue-gray skin that looked almost sickly and what had to be some sort of ritual scarring etched into his lipless face.

And just like he thought, the druid was smiling.

"So," Macidus voice could still be heard, even though he had vanished, "-you at least have the reflexes of a Galra."

Spinning around, Keith kept his guard up, searching for any sign of the druid. Fighting an opponent who could teleport wasn't easy- but at least he could see his mark from here. He just needed to somehow lure Macidus towards it, and then-

"But let's see if you have anything _else_."

The electric blast completely blindsided him, sending him hurtling several feet back. Groaning in pain, Keith nevertheless forced himself to stagger to his feet. Compared to the shock he'd taken before, this was nothing.

He could hear Macidus chuckling, even though he couldn't see him. "That's more like it!"

Gritting his teeth, Keith let out a low growl. How was he supposed to fight him if he couldn't even _see_ him, much less tell where he'd end up? It was like fighting a ghost.

But at least he could _hit_ this ghost. His lucky strike earlier had proved that- Macidus might be able to hide himself, but under that robe, he was still solid. He could do this. He just had to calm down and think of another way. Clearly, trying to watch for him wasn't working.

So what about listening for him?

Whenever he teleported, it came with a distinct sound. If he could just pinpoint that sound, then maybe he could figure out the druid's angle of attack fast enough to at least defend himself. His hearing had always been exceptional- maybe it was time to put it to good use.

Taking in a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down. Drowning out the sounds of Macidus' laughter and that of his own heartbeat, he waited, hoping to hear that telltale sound. It came what felt like minutes later, but had actually probably been a matter of seconds. Pivoting on his right foot, he raised his knife just in time to use it to absorb another bolt of electricity, this one coming from a much closer range than the previous. If it had hit, it would have done a lot more damage than that first blast.

But he didn't stop there. As soon as Macidus stopped, he lunged at the druid, letting out a loud cry. Then just before he struck, he switched hands, the action momentarily distracting Macidus long enough for him to bring the knife down on him. Unfortunately, the druid recovered faster than he'd anticipated, and as a result, all he did was tear his robe. Not even a second later, he was gone, having vanished into thin air.

"So," he could hear Macidus say, "-you don't only look like a Galra now. You fight like one too."

Keith's breath hitched in his throat, Macidus' words stabbing at his weak point, even though he knew that was exactly what he wanted. The only reason he even stood a chance against the druid was because he was the same as him. They were both Galra- and they both, in a sense, had been wearing masks to hide it. But just like he'd stripped Macidus of his, the druid had taken his own away, marking his once invisible heritage plain as day on his face.

Someone had already tried to kill him for it.

Who was to say that wouldn't happen again? There was no way he'd be able to keep his Galra blood hidden at the Garrison. Would they trust him? Or would they-?

"Behind you!"

Snapping out of it, Keith turned just in time to see Macidus teleport right beside him, electricity crackling in his hand. He brought up his knife to defend himself, but it was too late, too slow- all he could do was brace himself for another point blank electrocution.

But it never came.

Instead Macidus was knocked back, collapsing briefly in a tangle of robes. The druid hissed, lunging into a standing position, glaring fury up towards the substation's catwalks. Veronica was there, the muzzle of a purloined Galra pistol pointed directly at Macidus.

" _You_!" Macidus hissed. "You would stand in my way again!?"

The druid made a move to teleport again, likely this time towards the object of his anger. Fear seized in Keith's heart, even as he moved to intercept the druid- only for someone else to get there first.

The druid staggered back again, though he remained on his feet this time, glaring in the opposite direction. There was Adam, a stolen Galra rifle in his hands.

And Keith remembered the most important thing.

He wasn't alone.

With that newfound confidence, he charged Macidus, slamming into him with all the strength he could muster- which was more than enough to knock him right where he wanted. Before the druid could recover, he let out a sharp whistle- the signal for Sam to throw the switch. Electricity crackled, but this time, the target wasn't him- it was the druid.

He wasn't sure how many volts were flowing through Macidus, but however much, it was enough to cause him to scream in agony. By the time the voltage died down, Macidus was couldn't even stand, folding at the knees, and collapsing, most of his robe burned away. Even his body had been burned, scales stripped away, leaving flesh exposed.

Somehow, he didn't look all that scary anymore.

Keith exhaled, feeling his shoulders slump. Part of him couldn't believe their plan had actually _worked_. Staggering a few steps back, he fought the urge to let his own feet give out on him, forcing himself to stay standing.

They'd done it. They'd actually done it.

"Keith!"

Veronica threw her arms around him, a bubble of laughter escaping her throat. Seconds later, Adam joined them, grabbing the both of them in a powerful embrace that took the wind right out of him- but for once, he didn't really mind. Maybe it was just because he'd escaped death for like, the second time in a month, but right now he couldn't help but feel safe, knowing that those closest to him were right here with him.

Maybe everything would be al-

" _You_."

Keith froze, his blood turning cold. Macidus was staggering to his feet, shedding his tattered robe as she stood. There was fury in his eyes, worse still than when he had glared at Veronica, his face contorted in anger. Electricity crackled anew in his hands, and even though every step had to be pure agony, he didn't even bother to teleport this time, instead lurching forward with his hands raised.

"I'll make you _pay_ for that!"

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he recognized that it wasn't him Macidus was aiming for- it was Adam and Veronica.

No. No, he couldn't let him hurt them.

Shoving the pair away, Keith let instinct take over. He lunged at he druid, knife at the ready. But Macidus grabbed the blade before he could sink it into his chest, a wide smirk spreading across his burned face even as the luxite knife burned the very hand he was holding it with, violet blood leaking from where it cut into his flesh. Maybe all that electricity had dulled his sense of pain- or maybe he just didn't care anymore.

Victory or death.

"This," Macidus hissed, his eyes gleaming almost feverishly, "-is the end."

He should have been terrified, but he wasn't. Instead he just felt... _calm_ , almost.

"No," he said firmly, "-it's not."

As if his words were some kind of signal, light flared from his knife- so bright that he nearly looked away, but didn't. Macidus' eyes widened, the druid attempting to hastily let go of the knife and put some distance between himself and it- but not fast enough. The shape of the blade changed, transforming- and the very method Macidus had chosen to prevent his death became the source of it, as the newly created sword pierced right through his heart.

Then Macidus just... didn't exist.

He couldn't explain it. He'd simply burst into a bright light, forcing him to look away. By the time he looked back, the druid was gone.

This time for good.

"Is it," he heard Veronica half-whisper, "-is it over?"

"I think- I think so." Adam replied.

This time, Keith did let his feet give out. Relief crashed over him like a wave, even as he sunk to his knees, his knife- now a sword- slipping from his hands. He was only dimly aware of Adam and Veronica crowding him for another embrace, and of the noise that Sam and Colleen made as they came out of the substation's control room, the latter dragging the former into the pile.

It was hot. It was loud. There were too many people.

He loved every second of it.


End file.
